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List 31


Elvish

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Okay, Evly - you're ON.

Here's Roger's Honky Tonk Union for the third time - let's make it happen! :grin:

Carl went to see Roger live when he was in town, it was an unbelievable show - I think Carl himself would etll you that. For the small intimate venue, and the fact that the music was awesome and that Roger jumped off stage and shook hands and gave hugs - he's just a all-around nice person.

Take a listen to whatever he's got currently on his myspace page: myspace Roger Clyne

This CD came out a few years ago, but has staying power akin to Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run compilation.

Roger's lyrics are all intelligently written with a solid smattering of humor throughout.

Track List sample:

Beautiful Disaster - Described by Clyne as "just a fun high energy rock and roll romp" with, indeed, an homage to "Born To Run" - see the SongFacts about this one...

Easy - Clyne loves to juxtapose his lyrics... and does it to perfection with this tribute to breaking down love barriers...

Honky Tonk Union - A good-time country-rock stomp with Roger's sense of humor shining bright.

Jack vs. Jose - Written from a personal experience Roger had in a Tennessee bar - see SF about this tune...

Green & Dumb - a gorgeous ballad that warrants play at full-throttle on the stereo, heartbreaking, and the type of song any girl would love to have written about her...

Never Thought - A personal favorite of mine... another good rollicking time with a message that depends on the listener...

Tow Chain - '50s-style, with humor thrown in for good measure, as so many of Roger's song are.

Here are a few clips from reviews of the Peacemakers CDs...

Asbury Park Press

"Clyne is equal parts storyteller, songwriter and singer talents that have earned him a reputation as the Bruce Springsteen of the Southwest."

Salt Lake Weekly

"With both The Refreshments and The Peacemakers, Clyne’s songs have been mostly straight-ahead, rootsy rock tunes with sly, smart lyrics, covering subjects like crimes gone bad, trailer-park denizens and the relative merits of whiskey vs. tequila."

Deseret News

" ...through constant touring, incredible live performances, strong songwriting and through word-of-mouth ­ mostly from the band's hardcore cult following ­ the Peacemakers are starting to create a buzz in the mainstream-music world."

Salt Lake Tribune

"It's time to get to know him with his latest band, The Peacemakers, who help Clyne continue a career creating solid rock 'n' roll that goes down smooth."

Norwich (CT) Bulletin

"No matter if the song is political or personal, the Peacemakers have a way of making music that grabs the listener and just won't let go. This is music that transcends genres, popular culture and time periods. It wouldn't sound out of place in any of the last four decades."

Sports Illustrated

"If you're sick of rage rock, tired of the melody-devoid primal screaming of bands such as Slipknot, Staind, Tool and Papa Roach (we can't all be Rage Against the Machine), let me suggest Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers. [Peacemakers music] should be played at earsplitting volume in pool halls, bowling alleys and backyard bashes and on college radio stations. It should blare from the CD players of fast cars roaring down empty highways under the stars and just before dawn. Indeed, it should be savored and celebrated by those swaggering street denizens known as the rock & roll faithful as proof that the good stuff never disappears.'

But don't listen to me. Or them. Listen to Roger. Go ahead, raise your goblet of rock."

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Jefferson Airplane

"Surrealistic Pillow"

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1- She Has Funny Cars

2- Somebody To Love

3- My Best Friend

4- Today Listen

5- Comin' Back To Me

6- 3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds

7- D.C.B.A.-25

8- How Do You Feel

9- Embryonic Journey

10- White Rabbit

11- Plastic Fantastic Lover

Their second album, released in 1967, one year after Grace Slick joined the band. The two main songs, "Somebody to love" and "White Rabbit" became hits (she played those songs with her former band). Paul Kantner on guitar and vocals, Marty Balin as the co-lead singer, Jorma Kaukonen on lead guitar, Jack Casady on bass and Spencer Dryden on drums. This is one of the first and main psychedelic records; it was time for "summer of love" and this is the very San Franciscan sound.

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I'd like to suggest 1977's Rough Mix By Pete Townhend and the late Ronnie Lane from The Faces. The album is mostly accoustic and all the songs are written by Townshend/Lane. I found this review of the songs on-line:

My Baby Gives it Away A light-hearted, tuneful, amusing song about low-rent prostitution.

When you're alone in some city hotel,

You can get company by ringing a bell.

...

My baby's brother never break a your arm.

My baby ha, ha, I love her.

Nowhere To Run Beautiful harmonica from Peter Hope-Evans. Lyric sample:

Make no sail for a gift of the wind

Drives you slow for this dream never ends...

Rough Mix The band lays down a fast, gentle groove (yes, it’s possible) and Eric Clapton plays fierce but relaxed lead (yes, it’s possible) over it. Pete throws in a few licks that are mostly the spaces between the notes. You could dance to it. What’s not to like?

Annie, by Lane/Lambert/Clapton. This song is so sweet and sad, even one drink and you might find a tear falling. An unironic violin shadows the melody, a good one. Ronnie sings:

All those colors have faded

When ol' Jack comes to call

Don't tell him no, tell him maybe

Ohhhhh now, Annie, may God bless us all

Keep Me Turning Now this would be your vintage Townshend. Lovely tune, the spiritual anguish in the words is overdone but that’s OK because the guitar chords are are excellent.

Catmelody is a straightforward honky-tonk barrelhouse party song, with Ronnie Lane gleefully slinking around and over the surging piano and Charlie Watts backbeat:

This story's old, this heart is cold

This old street corner has heard it all before

But if I can bum just one more one

I'll say so long, I'm going home

Misunderstood It’s crucial that Townshend sings this in a gentle, ruminative, almost bashful voice over an acoustic backdrop. It starts like this and there are lots more verses, all about the same and all fun to hear, over a really really eccentric rhythm, with tasty harmonica.

Just wanna be misunderstood

Wanna be feared in my neighborhood

Just wanna be a moody man

Say things that nobody can understand

April Fool A sad, beautiful Ronnie Lane song, maybe the most beautiful on the record. Lots of acoustic guitars behind it with heartbreaking Dobro from Clapton, then the singing stops and the guitars go on and on, soft and deep, I’m astounded that nobody’s used this sequence in the climax of a movie romance, it’d make a stone weep. Ronnie sings:

I see the wheels there rusted in the backyard

I know we're not going anywhere

We used to roam so freely. It's been so long

I take my dreams to bed now where they belong

Street in the City Self-indulgent Townshend wanking, with a full string orchestra no less behind it. Having said that, it’s kind of fun to listen to, music and words too (The news is written in the eyes of us all). Intelligent wanking, I should have said.

Heart To Hang On To This is one of my top favorite songs, ever, and I’ve learned to play it on a bunch of different instruments over the years. Ron sings the verses and Pete the chorus which is the title, and is there anyone who doesn’t need a heart to hang on to? The arrangement is pure magic; there are guitars and keyboards and all sorts of stuff offering contributions precisely as needed, no more no less.

The last song is Till the Rivers All Run Dry and it’s here because it was a big fave with whichever Indian guru was in fashion at the time, Baba Rum Raisin I think, mostly harmless.

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Ron Wood - Gimme Some Neck (1979)

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1. Worry No More (J. Williams)

2. Breakin' My Heart (Wood)

3. Delia (Trad.)

4. Buried Alive (Wood)

5. Come to Realise (Wood)

6. Infekshun (Wood)

7. Seven Days (Dylan)

8. We All Get Old (Wood)

9. F. U.C. Her (Wood)

10. Lost and Lonely (Wood)

11. Don't Worry (Wood)

This review is taken from Rolling Stone, written by Timothy White (June 1979):

Gimme Some Neck is the third in a series of solo records (...) The sidemen on Gimme Some Neck are typically stellar: Mick Fleetwood, Dave Mason and Jim Keltner, plus Jagger, Richards, McLagan, et al. But the wonderfully cohesive core of this otherwise untamed album is the running dialogue between Wood's guitar, Charlie Watts' drumming and the fine work of Crusaders bassist "Pops" Popwell. Watts' playing is solid but spacious as it meshes with the muscular bass to drive Wood forward. And the guitarist shines like a raised shot glass on such bawdy barroom anthems as "Breakin' My Heart," "Infekshun" and "Buried Alive," It's no accident that all three songs were written by Ron Wood. They're flatout rockers custom-made for a heavy bass drum and Wood's Dylanesque, happy-to-be-hoarse, whiskey voice. The last number features a classic last-call couplet: "You should have been buried alive/'Cause you're far too pretty to die." (...)

Wood & Company are taking a lot of risks (...)

I can't think of more than a handful of other artists who could have cut a nastier, more vivid version of Bob Dylan's "Seven Days" than Wood, but the LP's true high point is "Come to Realise," a hard, celebratory explosion that should be the soundtrack for any serious binge. Like a triumphant stagger across the tavern floor, it lifts the muddled head and the greasy heart. (...) this disc has a marvelously crazy, skillful and honest sound that's great fun and sometimes downright thrilling. And, say, isn't that a pretty fair definition of good rock & roll?

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I can't believe we never had a Pearl Jam album here

:)

I'll start with

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Pearl Jam ~ Binaural (2000)

Track listing

1. "Breakerfall" (Vedder) – 2:19

2. "Gods' Dice" (Ament) – 2:26

3. "Evacuation" (Cameron, Vedder) – 2:56

4. "Light Years" (Gossard, McCready, Vedder) – 5:06

5. "Nothing As It Seems" (Ament) – 5:22

6. "Thin Air" (Gossard) – 3:32

7. "Insignificance" (Vedder) – 4:28

8. "Of the Girl" (Gossard) – 5:07

9. "Grievance" (Vedder) – 3:14

10. "Rival" (Gossard) – 3:38

11. "Sleight of Hand" (Ament, Vedder) – 4:47

12. "Soon Forget" (Vedder) – 1:46

13. "Parting Ways" (Vedder) – 7:17

* Contains the hidden track "Writer's Block"

If anything, Pearl Jam was even more in the wilderness -- at least as far as the mainstream was concerned -- at the beginning of 2000 than they were in the second half of the '90s. Even with "Last Kiss," their first big hit single since Ten, under their belts, they were an anomaly on the pop and rock scenes. They were the only one of their old grunge colleagues still standing intact, and they were genuinely alone. No peers, and too sincere to even consider fitting into a pop scene dominated by 'N Sync on one side and Limp Bizkit on the other. Not surprisingly, they chose to persevere, ignoring trends, completely in favor of being a classicist rock band. This should come as no surprise, since that's what they've done since No Code and, perhaps, Vitalogy, but the real surprise about their sixth studio album Binaural is that it finds the group roaring back to life without dramatically changing the direction they followed on No Code and Yield. Maybe the addition of a new drummer, former Soundgarden member Matt Cameron, has kicked the band to life, but that unfairly dismisses Jack Irons' worthy contributions. Instead, the difference is focus -- though Pearl Jam is trying a lot of different styles, certainly more so than on Yield, they pull it all off better. The songs are sharper, the production is layered, and the performances are as compassionate as ever, resulting in their finest album since Vitalogy.

Thin Air (Bridge School Benefit 2006)

Nothing as it Seems (Rock Am Ring 2000)

Parting Ways (Seattle 2000)

Light Years (Katowice)

Grievance (at David Letterman)

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Please consider the latest Indigo Girls album, Despite Our Differences. It's rare to hear a group that is this polished sound so original. Their songs are complex, yet accessible. At first, I thought they were falling back on the good-old "George Bush is evil and is ruining this country" theme, but a closer listen reveals that there is much more to it, and although GWB gets a rap on the knuckles, this is more about making peace with your past, finding your strength and discovering a wisdom that comes with life experience.

Emily Saliers gave us a great interview where she explained some of these songs, and her words really enhance the listening experience. Here are some of the links, and I'd also encourage you to check out her older songs she told us about, like Galileo .

Pendulum Swinger

I Believe In Love

Lay My Head Down

Last Tears

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IAN HUNTER

You´re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic

The fifth record by Ian Hunter, former singer of Mott The Hoople, and one of my favorite albums from all times.

From allmusic.com:

This classic album from 1979 is considered by many to be the high point of Ian Hunter's solo career. Although its sales never matched up to the enthusiastic critical reaction it received, this polished hard rock gem has held up nicely through the years and is definitely deserving of its strong cult reputation. You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic also marked the reunion of Hunter with his finest creative ally, Mick Ronson, who had been forced to sit out of Hunter's last few albums due to management problems. Together, the reunited duo put together an album that matches Hunter's literate lyrics to a set of catchy, finely crafted tunes brimming with rock & roll energy. Two of the finest tracks are "Cleveland Rocks," an affectionate, Mott the Hoople-styled tribute to an unsung rock & roll city that later became the theme for The Drew Carey Show, and "Ships," a heartrending ballad built on a spooky and ethereal keyboard-driven melody that was later covered with great success by Barry Manilow. Elsewhere, the album features plenty of tunes that soon became mainstays of Hunter's live show: "Just Another Night" is a rollicking rocker with an infectious, piano-pounding melody reminiscent of 1970s-era Rolling Stones, and "Bastard" is a pulsating rocker that features guest star John Cale contributing to its ominous hard rock atmosphere. However, the unsung gem of the album is "When the Daylight Comes," a beautifully crafted mid-tempo rocker that balances a soulful, organ-driven melody with rousing guitar riffs and surprisingly vulnerable lyrics about romance. It should also be noted that You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic benefits from a sterling mix by Bob Clearmountain, who gives the sound a muscular quality that makes it leap out of the stereo speakers. In the end, You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic is not only Ian Hunter's finest and most consistent album but one of the true gems of late-'70s rock & roll.

Songs:

1- Just Another Night

2- Wild East

3 Cleveland Rocks

4 Ships

5 When the Daylight Comes

6 Life After Death

7 Standin' in My Light

8 Bastard

9 The Outsider

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I´M YOUR FAN - Tribute album to Leonard Cohen

Various artists.

I became a LC´s fan again after discovering this record. I love the covers made by some very interesting young bands and artists.

1. "Who By Fire" – The House of Love

2. "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" – Ian McCulloch

3. "I Can't Forget" – Pixies

4. "Stories of the Street" – That Petrol Emotion

5. "Bird on a Wire" – The Lilac Time

6. "Suzanne" – Geoffrey Oryema

7. "So Long, Marianne" – James

8. "Avalanche IV" – Jean-Louis Murat

9. "Don't Go Home With Your Hard-On" – David McComb & Adam Peters

10. "First We Take Manhattan" – R.E.M.

11. "Chelsea Hotel" – Lloyd Cole

12. "Tower of Song" – Robert Forster

13. "Take This Longing" – Peter Astor

14. "True Love Leaves No Traces" – Dead Famous People

15. "I'm Your Man" – Bill Pritchard

16. "A Singer Must Die" – Fatima Mansions

17. "Tower of Song" – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

18. "Hallelujah" – John Cale

From wikipedia:

"I'm Your Fan" is a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, released in 1991, produced by the French music magazine Les Inrockuptibles.

The album features Cohen's songs interpreted predominantly by folk and indie rock musicians.(...)

The name refers to Cohen's album "I'm Your Man".

The album is also unusual for a tribute album, in that one song, "Tower of Song", is included in two different versions, by Robert Forster and by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The latter version is markedly "deconstructive".

For the album's American release, R.E.M.'s rendition of "First We Take Manhattan" and House of Love's "Who By Fire" (the lead tracks on each side of the vinyl and cassette versions) were swapped so that R.E.M., the most popular American rock band of the era, led the album. In all other countries where the album was released, however, the R.E.M. track appears on Side Two.

In the United Kingdom, the album was distributed by record label EastWest Records, in France by Sony Music.

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here's a renomination from List 26 :)

and it kinda fits, since I got this album as a Christmas Present a few years ago :)

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Moon Safari ~ Air

1. "La Femme d'Argent" – 7:08

2. "Sexy Boy" – 4:57

3. "All I Need" – 4:28

4. "Kelly Watch the Stars" – 3:44

5. "Talisman" – 4:16

6. "Remember" – 2:34

7. "You Make It Easy" – 4:00

8. "Ce Matin-La" – 3:38

9. "New Star in the Sky" – 5:38

10. "Le Voyage de Penelope" – 3:10

"Moon Safari" by the French Electronica duo Air is Easy Listening par exelence. The songs "All I need" and "You Make It Easy" feature vocals of Beth Hirsch, but the rest are mostly instrumentals. If you want good chill-out music, this is the album to get...

some reviews:

Based on simple 1960s rock melodies, as lightweight as early ambient classics by The Orb or [The] KLF, the songs feature soaring string sections, funky bass-lines, space-age synth sounds and vocals distorted to drift through the easy-listening, multi-era music mix

Air's lavish sound fits in with European confreres like the High Llamas and the Divine Comedy; orchestral pop that mixes the acoustic with the synthetic to make everything sound as gaudy as possible. When you're in the mood for fluff, after all, you want to hear expensive fluff, and Air have fun with their fantasy of the lush life. You can almost hear Anouk Aimee pouring them some Riunite on Ice in the background.

[...]

Loads of American bands try to emulate the fab tackiness of '60s French pop. But Moon Safari proves that the French really do it better themselves.

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well I guess Carl's nomination deserved some extra points...

Yup - we give special consideration to artists who we've interviewed recently. Also, Pearl Jam would have beaten Ben Harper, but your other selection made it on the list, sooo.... :)

Originally, the poll was only intended to pick one selection with the other four being mod's choice. But we do just go with popular vote sometimes ;)

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