What Are You Listening To?

[PaulyT]

:music-listening:

Great album, seems to me to be where Joe's really starting to find his own unique voice and style. His second album with Kevin Shirley.

 

[Rope]

:music-listening:

Great album, seems to me to be where Joe's really starting to find his own unique voice and style. His second album with Kevin Shirley.

Isn't he the guy the emulates John Mayer? bscene-buttred:

Rope

 

[PaulyT]

Aw now you've gone and made me mad! :angry-cussingblack: :angry-cussingblack: :angry-cussingblack: :angry-cussingblack: :angry-cussingblack:
:violence-torch: :violence-torch: :violence-torch: :violence-torch: :violence-torch:


bscene-birdiedoublered:

 

[Rope]

:laughing-rolling:

Rope

 

[heeman]

Good One Rope!!!!

I just got done telling him in a PM that Joe is a great guitarist, however I could not understand why Paul didn't like John Mayer............

Timing............it's everything!!! :text-bravo:

 

[Dennie]

Hymns Of The 49th Parallel -- CD

K.D. Lang

2004 Nonesuch Records

Amazon.com

Was it homesickness that compelled longtime Los Angeles resident k.d. lang to fashion her one-woman campaign for north-of-the-border nationalism, or just plain good sense? All Canadian content has long been a mainstay of the Canadian Broadcasting System, but few have selected their material with such a fine hand and a high aesthetic. The expatriate singer has taken great pains to create a sophisticated homage to her Canadian roots, elegantly reinterpreting 11 songs penned by some of her more illustrious countrymen (and women) such as Jane Siberry, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen. The idiosyncratic chanteuse turns Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" into an aching monochromatic lament, exploring new tributaries of pain that didn't exist in the original, while recasting Neil Young's "Helpless" into a haunting anthem of memory and comfort, all the while sounding anything but helpless. A gorgeous love letter to her brethren, complete with an intelligent and understated orchestration. --Jaan Uhelszki

"After the Gold Rush" (Neil Young) – 4:00
"Simple" (Lang, David Piltch) – 3:02
"Helpless" (Neil Young) – 4:15
"A Case of You" (Joni Mitchell) – 5:12
"The Valley" (Jane Siberry) – 5:31
"Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen) – 5:01
"One Day I Walk" (Bruce Cockburn) – 3:24
"Fallen" (Ron Sexsmith) – 2:56
"Jericho" (Mitchell) – 3:45
"Bird on the Wire" (Leonard Cohen) – 4:28
"Love is Everything" (Jane Siberry) – 5:43

 

[Dennie]

Brothers In Arms -- SACD

Dire Straits

2005 Mercury Records (Import)

Propelled by Mark Knopfler's literate songs, gruff vocals, and spidery guitar work, Dire Straits had overcome initial skepticism for their resistance to '70s new wave accents in favor of their rootsy traditionalism. This 1985 album captures the band consolidating a far more epic style than the concise shuffles and ballads that the original scrappy quartet had reeled off, their ambitions fueled by the larger canvas afforded by the compact disc. One of the first albums to exploit the format's longer playing time, Brothers in Arms was initially released in separate versions for CD/cassette and edited LP, and the band became digital poster boys on a world tour sponsored by CD hardware interests.

Critics that had once warmed to the band sniffed at the marketing, but the album remains their best known, noteworthy for the MTV staple "Money for Nothing" and the breezy rock shuffle "Walk of Life," as well as for the wistful "So Far Away," the plot-driven narratives of "Ride Across the River," and the title song of course. The album is an amazing mix of styles and moods, but produced without a fault all the way through. This was the showpiece album for this group of hard working musicians, and proved Mark Knopfler one of the worlds greatest guitarists. And now for the 20th anniversary of the album we get a limited edition SACD version that sounds incredible and reeks of sonic integrity.

Features:
• 20th Anniversary Edition
• Re-Mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound

Selections:
1. So Far Away
2. Money For Nothing
3. Walk of Life
4. Your Latest Trick
5. Why Worry
6. Ride Across the River
7. The Man's Too Strong
8. One World
9. Brothers In Arms

 

[Dennie]

The Paul Simon Collection - On my way, don't know where I'm goin' -- CD

Paul SImon

2002 Warner Bros. Records

Folk /Rock Icon Paul Simon's Best From His Solo Years!, November 10, 2002
By highway_star (Hallandale, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is an excellent collection of singer/songwriter Paul Simon's hits from his debut solo album simply titled "Paul Simon" (released in 1972) to his "You're The One" cd (released in 2000). In my opinion Simon is one of America's best (if not the best) songwriters ever. Every song has meaning and is sung with emotion. You've got all the hits starting with the catchy "Mother And Child Reunion", "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard", the sensative "Something So Right", the humorous "Kodachrome", "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover","Still Crazy After All These Years", "Slip Sliddin' Away", "You Can Call Me Al" (remember the great video from MTV's glory days), etc. As a bonus disc you get rare 1973 concert performances of Simon performing several songs in "American Tune" and "Duncan" (New York & London), "Mrs. Robinson" from a 1999 New York City concert, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" from a 2001 New Orleans concert and "The Coast" from a 2002 Montreux, Switzerland concert. This disc has been remastered and the sound quality is nice and crisp compared to other greatest hits cd's I've heard. There's also ten pages of liner notes which gives a brief history of Simon as well as the making of his various l.p.'s. A great cd for those who enjoy 60's and 70's folk rock. Highly recommended!

Tracklist:
01. Mother And Child Reunion
02. Me And Juilo Down By The Schoolyard
03. Kodachrome
04. Something So Right
05. Loves Me Like A Rock
06. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
07. Still Crazy After All These Years
08. Late In The Evening
09. Slip Slidin' Away
10. Hearts And Bones
11. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
12. The Boy In The Bubble
13. Graceland
14. You Can Call Me Al
15. Spirit Voices
16. The Cool, Cool River
17. Adios Hermanos
18. Love
19. Hurricane Eye

 

[Dennie]

Stones In The Road -- CD

Mary Chapin Carpenter

1994 Columbia Records

Amazon.com essential recording

The 1994 sequel to her mainstream country breakthrough on Come on Come On further underscores Mary Chapin Carpenter's true identity, more Ivy League folk rocker than new country cowgirl. Her coolly delivered, deeply felt songs include meditations on family, community, and social injustice without rant or cant, never more so than on the gently incisive midlife reflections of the title song, which filters historic milestones and childhood lessons through its delicate verses. Elsewhere, she sketches a heart-breaking, restrained speculation on the inner life of a blind, deaf mystery man ("John Doe No. 24") with the economy and detail of good short story. The set's many love songs are no less intelligent, emotionally authentic, or moving. Chapin Carpenter's elegant yet earthy alto is beautifully framed in the settings, coproduced with longtime collaborator John Jennings, that balance jangling guitars, rippling piano, occasional fiddle and crisp rhythm sections closer to the best of L.A. country rock than what normally emanates from Nashville. --Sam Sutherland

All songs written by Mary Chapin Carpenter.

"Why Walk When You Can Fly?" - 3:31
"House of Cards" - 3:45
"Stones in the Road" - 4:31
"A Keeper for Every Flame" - 3:46
"Tender When I Want to Be" - 2:54
"Shut Up and Kiss Me" - 3:40
"The Last Word" - 3:25
"The End of My Pirate Days" - 5:02
"John Doe No. 24" - 5:44
"Jubilee" - 4:36
"Outside Looking In" - 4:42
"Where Time Stands Still" - 3:40
"This Is Love" - 6:19

 

[Dennie]

Come On Home -- CD

Boz Scaggs

1997 Virgin Records US

Amazon.com

Having sat most of the '80s out, Boz Scaggs returns in the mid-'90s as an urbane blues crooner, effectively bringing his music full circle from the sleek, disco-friendly pop of his '70s commercial zenith to the purer R&B of his late '60s debut. Come Home is a soulful valentine to the same models that informed that first outing, juxtaposing solid new originals against venerable songs from Jimmy Reed, Earl King Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie Mitchell, and other blues and soul masters from Memphis, Texas, and Chicago. Scaggs, always a model of taste (who else could have produced disco hits that still sound stylish), juggles two blue-chip rhythm sections with strategic infusions of soulful brass, greasy organ, and Scaggs's own deep-fried guitar work sustaining the set's bluesy accents. --Sam Sutherland

"It All Went Down the Drain"
"Ask Me 'Bout Nothin' (But the Blues)"
"Don't Cry No More"
"Found Love"
"Come On Home"
"Picture of a Broken Heart"
"Love Letters"
"I've Got Your Love"
"Early in the Morning"
"Your Good Thing (Is About to End)"
"T-Bone Shuffle"
"Sick and Tired"
"After Hours"
"Goodnight Louise"

11852

 

[Dennie]

Tumbleweed Connection -- CD

Elton John

1970/1995 Island/Rocket Records

Amazon.com

Tumbleweed Connection is part of the early catalog of Elton John's work that Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose reportedly once said he would love to own the publishing rights to as a work of art. Indeed, it does contain some of John's most expressive work as an artist, but with the showy stage presence and pop melodicism still under construction. Tumbleweed is characterized by John's balladeer approach, with John at his storyteller best on songs like "Burn Down the Mission." Even if the lyrics were generally written by Bernie Taupin, John's voice and inflection made every song seem deeply personal. The beautiful "Come Down in Time" displays the subtleties and sophistication of his talent, with the piano not yet serving as the instrumental focal point it would later become. The album also features the favorite "Ballad of a Well-Known Gun" and "Where to Now St. Peter?" --Steve Gdula
Side one

"Ballad of a Well-Known Gun" – 4:59
"Come Down in Time" – 3:25
"Country Comfort" – 5:06
"Son of Your Father" – 3:48
"My Father's Gun" – 6:20

Side two

"Where to Now St. Peter?" – 4:11
"Love Song" (Lesley Duncan) – 3:41
"Amoreena" – 5:00
"Talking Old Soldiers" – 4:06
"Burn Down the Mission" – 6:22

 

[Dennie]

On And On -- CD

Jack Johnson

2003 Universal Records

Amazon.com

Jack Johnson has found himself a groove. Indeed, the Hawaiian surfing champion turned alternative pop-folk star really hasn't changed things one iota for his sophomore release. Fans of Brushfire Fairytales should be delighted with the results. The groove is a mellow one--most of the 16 tracks here are semi-acoustic--and that easy-going spirit filters into Johnson's lyrical philosophies. "What will be will be / And so it goes" he sings on "Times Like These," the opening track. Thankfully, Johnson is never too mellow, and there's a "Don't worry, be happy" vibe to most of his music. "The Horizon Has Been Defeated" even has a pseudo-reggae feel to it. Although classified as an alternative musician, the singer-songwriter's compositions owe much to past hits. "Traffic in the Sky" is reminiscent of Jim Croce's "Operator" and Looking Glass's one-hit-wonder, "Brandy." On the splendid "Taylor," Johnson sounds an awful lot like Donovan. And "By The Way" recalls the Lovin' Spoonful. -- Bill Holdship

All songs by Jack Johnson, except where noted.

"Times Like These" – 2:22
"The Horizon Has Been Defeated" – 2:33
"Traffic in the Sky" – 2:50
"Taylor" – 3:59
"Gone" – 2:10
"Cupid" – 1:05
"Wasting Time" (Johnson, Adam Topol, Merlo Podlewski) – 3:50
"Holes to Heaven" – 2:54
"Dreams Be Dreams" – 2:12
"Tomorrow Morning" – 2:50
"Fall Line" – 1:35
"Cookie Jar" – 2:57
"Rodeo Clowns" – 2:38
"Cocoon" – 4:10
"Mediocre Bad Guys" – 3:00
"Symbol in My Driveway" – 2:50

 

[Dennie]

BURN -- CD

Jo Dee Messina

2000 Curb Records

Amazon.com

After the popular breakthrough of 1998's I'm Alright, Jo Dee Messina returns with another testament to the power of positive singing. Practically every song on her third album plays like the musical equivalent of a self-help book, from the postbreakup recovery of the album-opening "Downtime" to the "be anyone you want to be" affirmation of the title track. The Boston-bred, Nashville-based Messina is a younger generation's Reba, with the conviction in her conversational phrasing redeeming the clichés of her material ("Live, love, seize the day") and transcending the mechanical schlock of so many of the arrangements. The duet with coproducer Tim McGraw on "Bring on the Rain" is an album-closing highlight. --Don McLeese

"Downtime" (Phillip Coleman, Carolyn Dawn Johnson) - 3:43
"That's the Way" (Annie Roboff, Holly Lamar) - 3:21
"Dare to Dream" (Jane Bach, Adrienne Follesé) - 3:18
"Burn" (Tina Arena, Steve Werfel, Pam Reswick) - 4:39
"If Not You" (George Teren, Tom Shapiro) - 4:11
"Closer" (Chris Lindsey, Marv Green, Aimee Mayo) - 4:04
"These Are the Days" (Stephanie Bentley, Lamar) - 3:49
"Saturday Night" (Tim Nichols, Roboff) - 3:41
"Angelene" (Bentley, Lamar) - 3:57
"Nothing I Can Do" (Roy Hurd, Templeton Thompson) - 4:04
"Bring On the Rain" (Billy Montana, Helen Darling) - 3:59
duet with Tim McGraw

 

[Dennie]

There was a Big Riot at the NEW Folsom Prison yesterday. It lasted 6 minutes and two people were stabbed multiple times and taken to the Hospital.

The "New" Folsom prison is next to "Old" Folsom Prison and about 15 miles up the road from me, where this was recorded in 1968....

Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison -- 20 Bit Remastered CD

Johnny Cash

1999 Columbia Legacy

Amazon.com essential recording

Johnny Cash had been breaking new ground for a decade when At Folsom Prison suddenly made the world at large take notice. The interaction of a volatile prison population starved for entertainment and a desperately on-form Johnny Cash was electrifying. His somber machismo finally found a home. The songs, which included every prison song Cash knew ("I Got Stripes," "The Wall," "25 Minutes to Go," "Cocaine Blues," plus his own "Folsom Prison Blues") were tailored to galvanize the crowd. This set is all about atmosphere. Live at the Grand Ole Opry this ain't. The 1999 version drops the San Quentin portion of the original CD reissue, instead adding three cuts to complete the full and uncensored Folsom show. --Colin Escott

"Folsom Prison Blues" – 2:42
"Busted" (Harlan Howard) – 1:25
"Dark as a Dungeon" – 3:04
"I Still Miss Someone" – 1:38
"Cocaine Blues" – 3:01
"25 Minutes to Go" – 3:31
"Orange Blossom Special" – 3:06
"The Long Black Veil" – 3:58
"Send a Picture of Mother" – 2:05
"The Wall" – 1:36
"Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog" – 1:30
"Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart" – 2:05
"Joe Bean" (B. Freeman, L. Pober) – 3:05
"Jackson" (with June Carter) – 3:12
"Give My Love to Rose" (with June Carter) – 2:43
"I Got Stripes" – 1:52
"The Legend of John Henry's Hammer" (Johnny Cash, June Carter) – 7:08
"Green, Green Grass of Home" – 2:13
"Greystone Chapel" – 6:02

 

[Dennie]

Straight Shooter -- CD

Bad Company

1974 Swan Song Records

Supergroup hits its stride, November 7, 2001
By Mons "Mons" (Norrpan) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Straight Shooter (Audio CD)

Released in 1974, Straightshooter is regarded by many as being Bad Company's strongest album. It has the bluesy feel of its predecessor (Bad Co) but has the band turning their amps up 11 and rocking out the strongest set of songs of the band's career. Do not forget that Bad Co was a supergroup with 2 guys out of Free (Rodgers and Kirke), the bass player from King Crimson (Boz Burrell) and Mott the Hoople's guitarist (Mick Ralphs). They should have been huge, of course, but suffered from having to play second fiddle to Swan Song stablemates Led Zeppelin. The songs were great, their sound: a sort of supercharged, sexy blues-rock without the pretention of Led Zep. What let them down perhaps was their lyrics, some of which make Spinal Tap look like Leonard Cohen, but if you can take that - and I can - this album is a great listen from beginning to end. Bad Company were also one of the few hard rock bands that wrote great ballads (Anna), though it was Straightshooter's high-octane rockers like Good Lovin' Gone Bad, Feel Like Making Love and Shooting Star that helped secure them a place in rock history. Bad Company were a good, tight band, but I would recommend anyone to listen to them purely to hear Paul Rodgers' masterful rock vocals. New to Bad Company? Get this one first, and then Bad Co.

Side one

"Good Lovin' Gone Bad" (Mick Ralphs) – 3:35
"Feel Like Makin' Love" (Paul Rodgers, Ralphs) – 5:12
"Weep No More" (Simon Kirke) – 3:59
"Shooting Star" (Rodgers) – 6:16

Side two

"Deal With the Preacher" (Rodgers, Ralphs) – 5:01
"Wild Fire Woman" (Rodgers, Ralphs) – 4:32
"Anna" (Kirke) – 3:41
"Call on Me" (Rodgers) – 6:03

 

[Dennie]

Band On The Run -- 25th Anniversary Edition 2 CD Box Set

Paul McCartney & Wings

1973/1999 Apple/Capitol Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Band on the Run should have been a disaster. Two of Wings' original members quit in a huff just before its production. The whimsical decision to record in Lagos, Nigeria, became a nightmare when McCartney and company found themselves in a decaying studio, then had many of the project's demos stolen by armed bandits. Despite these hardships--perhaps because of them--Band on the Run remains the most focused and consistently satisfying record of McCartney's wildly uneven post-Beatles career. This mini box set contains the original album, a well-written booklet by Mark Lewisohn, and a bonus disc featuring outtake snippets and interviews with all the album's participants (including its cover crew, which includes actors James Coburn and Christopher Lee) and Dustin Hoffman, who recounts how he spurred McCartney to spontaneously write "Picasso's Last Words" on a dare. This second disc would make a fine radio show; it comes up short where it matters most--in music. Time spent detailing the album-cover photo session could have been more gratifyingly devoted to more contemporary outtakes (much of the bonus Band material is culled from live performances from as recently as the mid '90s; perhaps McCartney wants us to know how important the record has been to him over the years) or to a pair of single B-sides, which are curiously absent here. --Jerry McCulley

Disc: 1

1. Band On The Run
2. Jet
3. Bluebird
4. Mrs. Vandebilt
5. Let Me Roll It
6. Mamunia
7. No Words
8. Helen Wheels
9. Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)
10. Ninteteen Hundred And Eighty Five

Disc: 2

1. Paul McCartney (Dialogue Intro)/Band On The Run (Nicely Toasted Mix)
2. Band On The Run (Original) (Background)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link I)
3. Band On The Run (Barn Rehearsal)
4. Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 2)/Mamunia (Original) Bckground)/Denny Laine (Dialogue)...
5. Bluebird (Live-Version)
6. Bluebird (Original) (Background)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 4)
7. Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 5)/No Words (Original) (Background)/Geoff Emerick (Dialogue)
8. No Words (Original)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 6)/Tony Visconti (Dialogue).Band On The Run...
9. Jet ( Original From Picasso's Last Words) (Background)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 7)...
10. Jet (Berlin Soundchek)
11. Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 8)/Clive Arrowsmith (Dialogue)
12. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five (Original) (Background)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 9)...
13. Mrs. Vandebilt (Original) (Background)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link11)/Kenny Lynch (Dialogue)...
14. Let Me Roll It (Cardington Rehearsal)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 12)
15. Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 13)/Mrs. Vandebilt (Background)/Linda McCartney (Band On The Run...
16. Helen Wheels (crazed)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 14)/Christopher Lee (Dialogue)
17. Band On The Run (Strum Bit)/v (Dialogue Link 15)/lemente Freud (Dialogue)
18. Picasso's Last Words (Original) (Background)/Paul McCartney Dialogue Link 16)/Dustin Hoffman...
19. Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me) (Acoustic Version)
20. Band On The Run (Nicely Toasted Mix)/Paul McCartney (Dialogue Link 17)
21. Band On The Run (Northern Comic Version)

 

[Dennie]

Searchin' For A Rainbow -- CD

The Marshall Tucker Band

1975 AJK Music

Old West dreams meet Southern memories in the tracks of Searchin’ for a Rainbow, The Marshall Tucker Band’s fourth album. Released in 1975, this song collection found the group refining its multi-faceted sound into an appealing country-rock essence. Still present were the jazz and blues-based elements that had always made Marshall Tucker a distinctive unit. By dressing up their music in Western garb, the band found a way to reach a huge new audience—all it took was a little "Fire On The Mountain" to light the way. "We’d found a bit more direction on how to design songs for a record," says lead singer Doug Gray. "Our record company Capricorn had always said, ‘Try to give us something that would work on the radio.’ We tried to do that, and at the same time please each other. We were known as a jamming band. This was the first time we really tried to give them Marshall Tucker’s interpretation of what a hit song was." Helping to spur things on was "Fire On The Mountain," the lead track off Searchin’ for a Rainbow. Released as a single in the fall of ’75, the tune reached #38 on the pop charts. A vivid, Old West, lyric-storyline combined with bluegrass-tinged instrumental licks and an ear-grabbing chorus brought Marshall Tucker its first Top 40 hit.

Side One

"Fire on the Mountain" - 3:53 (George McCorkle)
"Searchin' for a Rainbow" - 3:48
"Walkin' and Talkin'" - 2:25
"Virginia" - 4:54

Side Two

"Bob Away My Blues" - 2:42
"Keeps Me from All Wrong" - 4:13
"Bound and Determined" - 4:20
"Can't You See" (Live) - 6:25

 

[Kazaam]

Picked this up at a pawn shop recently.

I guess I knew Michael Martin Murphey sang "Wildfire", but it was subconscious almost, you know? Mostly I always associated Murphey with "What's Forever For", which is a nice 80s country-pop ballad, but not all that cool. And that was that. I knew nothing else, really. And never did I expect to see Murphey looking like Grizzly Adams. Or, better yet, singing some awesome down-to-earth country/folk/rock like he sang in the early 70s. Or apparently as he did, so it seems based on this collection of hits. I totally dig his version of the Monkees "What Am I Doing Hangin Round", and why wouldn't I? Murphy wrote the song, after all. Who knew?

 

[Botch]

In 5.1 SACD... :music-listening:

 

[Botch]