What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

The Very Best of -- 2 CD Set

Eagles

2003 Warner Bros. Records

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Very Best of" that actually is, June 4, 2005
By Gavin Mack "Entertainment Junkie" (Carlsbad, NM) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Eagles : The Very Best Of (2CD) (Audio CD)

After years of putting out "Greatest Hits" and "Best of..." packages, the record companies are now having to resort to greater hyperbole to sell the collections. The current trend of "The Very Best of..." sets is, in most cases, just another issue of the same old stuff that has, at least usually, been remastered. That is not the case with this set.

The Eagles are as much of an emblem of the American '70's as the Beatles were of the '60's. Each album that was released showed a band that was changing and maturing, both as musicians and as songwriters. By the time they got to the end of their run with "The Long Run" (no pun intended), they moved as far from their roots as the Beatles had in 1969. And like the Beatles, it was all good.

This collection manages to showcase this transformation in elegant style, taking the best from every album. There are at least 3 songs from each of their studio albums with "On the Border", "Hotel California", and "The Long Run" each contributing 6. The lone selection from their 1980 live album is also the only reason to own it, "Seven Bridges Road". Also included are the two best new songs from "Hell Freezes Over" and their post 9-11 tune, "Hole In The World".

Greatest Hits collections are seldom satisfying to the more than casual fan, leaving those of us who delve deep into back catalogs the desire to go and get more. The remarkable thing about this set is that over the course of two discs, a great band's career is effectively and satisfyingly summarized, leaving very little for further investigation that is truly of note. Which is not to say that this is all that the Eagles were. It is to say, however, that for everyone from the curious to the hardcore fan, this is a collection worth having.

Disc one

"Take It Easy" (Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey) – 3:29
"Witchy Woman" (Don Henley, Bernie Leadon) – 4:10
"Peaceful Easy Feeling" (Jack Tempchin) – 4:16
"Desperado" (Henley, Frey) – 3:33
"Tequila Sunrise" (Henley, Frey) – 2:42
"Doolin-Dalton" (Browne, Frey, Henley, J.D. Souther) – 3:26
"Already Gone" (Tempchin, Robb Strandlund) – 4:13
"Best of My Love" (Henley, Frey, Souther) – 4:35
"James Dean" (Browne, Frey, Souther, Henley) – 3:36
"Ol' '55" (Tom Waits) – 4:22
"Midnight Flyer" (Paul Craft) – 3:58
"On the Border" (Henley, Leadon, Frey) – 4:28
"Lyin' Eyes" (Henley, Frey) – 6:21
"One of These Nights" (Henley, Frey) – 4:51
"Take It to the Limit" (Randy Meisner, Henley, Frey) – 4:48
"After the Thrill Is Gone" (Henley, Frey) - 3:56
"Hotel California" (Don Felder, Henley, Frey) – 6:30

Tracks 1–3 from Eagles (1972)Tracks 4–6 from Desperado (1973)Tracks 7–12 from On the Border (1974)Tracks 13–16 from One of These Nights (1975)Track 17 from Hotel California (1976)

Disc two

"Life in the Fast Lane" (Joe Walsh, Henley, Frey) – 4:46
"Wasted Time" (Henley, Frey) – 4:55
"Victim of Love" (Felder, Souther, Henley, Frey) – 4:11
"The Last Resort" (Henley, Frey) – 7:25
"New Kid in Town" (Souther, Henley, Frey) – 5:04
"Please Come Home for Christmas" (Charlie Brown) – 2:58
"Heartache Tonight" (Henley, Frey, Bob Seger, Souther) – 4:26
"The Sad Café" (Henley, Frey, Walsh, Souther) – 5:35
"I Can't Tell You Why" (Timothy B. Schmit, Henley, Frey) – 4:56
"The Long Run" (Henley, Frey) – 3:42
"In the City" (Walsh, Barry De Vorzon) – 3:46
"Those Shoes" (Felder, Henley, Frey) – 4:56
"Seven Bridges Road (Live)" (Steve Young) – 3:25
"Love Will Keep Us Alive" (Pete Vale, Jim Capaldi, Paul Carrack) – 4:00
"Get Over It" (Henley, Frey) – 3:29
"Hole in the World" (Henley, Frey) – 4:13

Tracks 1-5 from Hotel California (1976)Track 6 was a non-album single (1978)Tracks 7-12 from The Long Run (1979)Track 13 from Eagles Live (1980)Tracks 14 and 15 from Hell Freezes Over (1994)Track 16 is a new track (2003)

 

[Dennie]

This Time -- CD

Dwight Yoakam

1993 Reprise Records

Amazon.com
Cover art, front: a behatted (of course) Dwight, face completely hidden. Back: a shapely, half-nude model sporting a Persistence of Memory-style clock eyeing a sink overflowing with water and calendar pages. Title tune: one of Yoakam's most hardcore Bakersfield 'tonkers. It sits alongside a couple of rockers, a handful of inspired weepers, and two inexorably flowing country-pop numbers ("A Thousand Miles from Nowhere" and "Ain't That Lonely Yet") that deserved every second of airplay they got. He'd be even better when he entered the studio again (for Gone), but the only slouching he does here is in the photographs. --Rickey Wright

"Pocket of a Clown" (Dwight Yoakam) – 2:55
"A Thousand Miles from Nowhere" (Yoakam) – 4:27
"Home for Sale" (Yoakam) – 3:35
"This Time" (Yoakam, Kostas) – 3:58
"Two Doors Down" (Yoakam, Kostas) – 3:52
"Ain't That Lonely Yet" (Kostas, James House) – 3:17
"King of Fools" (Yoakam, Kostas) – 4:05
"Fast as You" (Yoakam) – 4:45
"Try Not to Look So Pretty" (Yoakam, Kostas) – 2:52
"Wild Ride" (Yoakam) – 4:42
"Lonesome Roads" (Yoakam) – 3:05

 

[Dennie]

Other Roads -- CD

Boz Scaggs

1988 Columbia Records

Free to be 'Boz', August 17, 2001
By Cath (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Other Roads (Audio CD)

"Other Roads" shows Boz Scaggs' amazing versatility as an artist. He pours his soul -- not to mention his one-of-a-kind vocals -- into rock, blues, pop and jazz, to make a music that is uniquely his. Like ballads? "Heart of Mine" is a classic. If you're more into fusion, the tight, funky guitar and keyboard instrumentals in "Mental Shakedown" and "Crimes of Passion" will definitely get your attention. Each track on this album explores melody, lyrics and arrangement for a very satisfying listen. Boz freely ventures down 'other roads,' and lucky us ... we get to go along and see the musical stuff he's made of.

"What's Number One?" (Boz Scaggs, J. C. Carroll, Marcus Miller) – 3:58
"Claudia" (Scaggs, Larry Williams) – 4:07
"Heart of Mine" (Bobby Caldwell, Dennis Matkosky, Jason Scheff) – 4:12
"Right Out of My Head" (Scaggs, D. Tyler Huff) – 5:24
"I Don't Hear You" (J.C. Carroll, D. Tyler Huff) – 4:41
"Mental Shakedown" (Scaggs, Guy Allison Steiner, David Williams) – 4:10
"Crimes of Passion" (J.C. Carroll, D. Tyler Huff) – 4:00
"Funny" (Scaggs, Marcus Miller) – 5:49
"Cool Running" (Scaggs, Patrick Leonard, David Williams) – 4:14
"The Night of Van Gogh" (Scaggs, Bobby Caldwell, Peter Wolf) – 4:20

 

[heeman]

WOW...............I like this much more than 21............also a perfect demo CD for my system!

 

[Botch]

KC got away from me; they had not one, not two, but three new albums out that I wasn't aware of. This one appears to be a live album from a 2001 tour (Belew, Fripp, Gunn, Mastolotto) but the album is programmed/mastered not to sound live, but like a studio album. Also got KC's The Great Deceiver, disks One and Two, and Peter Gabriel on bluray, New Blood, Live in London. (I'll talk about this one after I've seen it).
:music-listening:

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

Red Dirt Girl -- CD

Emmylou Harris

2000 Nonesuch Records

Amazon.com

Consider this Emmylou Harris's emancipation proclamation--an album that confirms that 1995's adventurously atmospheric Wrecking Ball wasn't an aberration, but a preview of more radical changes to come. Long the godmother of alternative-country's traditionalist wing, Harris here writes songs with Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff, sings a duet with Dave Matthews ("My Antonia"), and recruits Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa to provide harmonies on the album's most compelling ballad ("Tragedy"). The production by Malcolm Burn applies sonic treatments of drum machines, shimmering guitars, and echoed vocals to a song cycle by Harris that is largely original and deeply personal, filled with dream imagery and evocations of a spiritual quest. While material such as "Michaelangelo" and "Bang the Drum Slowly" suffers from an arty ponderousness, it's doubtful that Harris has ever recorded an album that means more to her than this one. --Don McLeese

All tracks written by Emmylou Harris, except where noted.

"The Pearl" – 5:02
"Michelangelo" – 5:14
"I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now" – 4:47
"Tragedy" [with Patti Scialfa - duet vocals & Bruce Springsteen - harmony vocals] (Harris, Rodney Crowell) – 4:24
"Red Dirt Girl" – 4:19
"My Baby Needs a Shepherd" – 4:39
"Bang the Drum Slowly" (Harris, Guy Clark) – 4:51
"J'ai Fait Tout" (Harris, Jill Cunniff, Daryl Johnson) – 5:31
"One Big Love" (Patty Griffin, Angelo) – 4:33
"Hour of Gold" – 5:00
"My Antonia" [with Dave Matthews] – 3:43
"Boy from Tupelo" – 3:48

 

[PaulyT]

Ha! I just ordered a bunch of Emmylou albums, including that one. Enjoying this one right now:

 

[topper]

 

[Dennie]

On and On. -- CD

Jack Johnson

2003 Universal Music

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]

Ha! I just ordered a bunch of Emmylou albums, including that one. Enjoying this one right now:

Nice, both great albums. Keep us posted on how you like her/them!



Dennie

 

[Botch]

I can't remember who posted this one, but thank you! Really digging this!

 

[Dennie]

I can't remember who posted this one, but thank you! Really digging this!

Isn't that Good?!!! :handgestures-thumbup: I love Brazilian/Bossa Nova Music and that is a great one with gobs of talent!

I'm glad you're liking it,


Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Yellow Moon -- CD

Neville Brothers

1989 A&M Records

Amazon.com essential recording

The Neville Brothers are a New Orleans institution. Their voices glide freely and harmonize into a rich texture. For Yellow Moon, they enlisted the help of producer Daniel Lanois to meld their voices and rhythms with his swampy dreamscapes. The percussion is subtle, the guitars melt into the background, and the voices puncture the placid night sky, as if providing the soundtrack to an old western. Two protest-era Dylan songs ("With God on Our Side" and "The Ballad of Hollis Brown") are recast as modern anthems for spiritual reconciliation. The Sam Cooke classic "A Change is Gonna Come" remains an envied promise, while the original material (the title track; "Sister Rosa," about Rosa Parks) is among their finest. Not a return to form, but rather a welcome break from tradition. --Rob O'Connor

"My Blood" (Darryl Johnson, Cyril Neville, Willie Green, Charles Moore) – 4:11
"Yellow Moon" (Aaron Neville) – 4:04
"Fire and Brimstone" (Link Wray) – 3:57
"A Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke) – 3:43
"Sister Rosa" (Darryl Johnson, Cyril Neville, Charles Moore) – 3:29
"With God on Our Side" (Bob Dylan) – 6:37
"Wake Up" (Cyril Neville, Brian Stoltz, Willie Green) – 3:21
"Voodoo" (Aaron Neville, Darryl Johnson, Cyril Neville, Brian Stoltz, Willie Green) – 4:26
"The Ballad of Hollis Brown" (Bob Dylan) – 5:45
"Will the Circle Be Unbroken" (A. P. Carter) – 5:16
"Healing Chant" (Aaron Neville, Austin Hall, Cyril Neville, Brian Stoltz, Willie Green) – 4:34
"Wild Injuns" (Aaron Neville, Austin Hall, Cyril Neville, Brian Stoltz, Willie Green) – 3:17

 

[Dennie]

Mercernary -- CD

Dr. John

2006 Blue Note Records

Amazon.com

Though Dr. John is by no means the first musician from the rock era to take a stab at the classic American songbook, the results have rarely been as satisfying as this. While all of the material was written by, inspired by, or associated with Johnny Mercer, this is very much a Dr. John album, with Mac Rebennack and his ace New Orleans rhythm section giving selections from "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" to "Moon River" a funky, Crescent City spin. With the good doctor applying piano syncopation to an instrumental expansion of "I'm an Old Cow Hand" and giving his sly, playful rasp to a jaunty "Dream" and a bluesy "Come Rain or Come Shine," this tribute not only attests to the range, craftsmanship, and enduring appeal of Mercer's all-American music, it reflects the New Orleans master's interpretive depth. --Don McLeese

Track Listing

1. Blues in the Night
2. You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby
3. Personality
4. Hit the Road to Dreamland
5. I'm an Old Cow Hand
6. Dream
7. Lazy Bones
8. That Old Black Magic
9. Come Rain or Come Shine
10. Moon River
11. Tangerine
12. I Ain't No Johnny Mercer
13. Save the Bones for Henry Jones

 

[Dennie]

In A Sentimental Mood -- CD

Dr. John

1989 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com

Mac Rebennack's long commercial drought finally ended in the late '80s with In a Sentimental Mood, an album of pop standards bearing almost no connection to New Orleans R&B roots. His album-opening duet with Rickie Lee Jones, "Making' Whoopee," was a big hit after it was included on the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack, and it's easy to understand why Harry Connick Jr. fans who'd bought When Harry Met Sally were seduced by this coy come-on. Still, it's odd to hear Rebennack's scruffy baritone in service to such lush, sweeping orchestration (and to hear him sing a line like "I've got a sweet tooth for your sweet heart"). The Doctor does lend a nice bluesy feel to a Satchmo favorite, "My Buddy," and to Charles Brown's classic, "Black Night," and his version of "More Than You Know" is a small miracle of understatement. --Keith Moerer

Track Listing

1. Makin' Whoopee!
2. Candy
3. Accentuate the Positive
4. My Buddy
5. In a Sentimental Mood
6. Black Night
7. Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'
8. Love For Sale
9. More Than You Know

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening....

What A Wonderful World -- CD

Willie Nelson

1988 Columbia Records

WILLIE AT HIS SUBLIME BEST!, April 10, 2000
By Norm Hall - See all my reviews
This review is from: What a Wonderful World (Audio CD)

I picked up this album because of the song; "Ole Buttermilk Sky" because no one sings it anymore. It is a great Hoagy Carmichael tune! Much to my delight, but not to my surprise, every song on here is a winner. Just listen to the rapture of "Some Enchanted Evening"! Or "What a Wonderful World." Willie has the ability to make every song he sings his very own. If you love Willie, you must have this album!

"Spanish Eyes" - 3:33
"Moon River" - 3:10
"Some Enchanted Evening" - 3:40
"What a Wonderful World" - 2:14
"South of the Border" - 3:17
"Ole Buttermilk Sky" - 2:48
"The Song from Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart?)" - 2:53
"To Each His Own" - 3:37
"Twilight Time" - 2:50
"Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" - 2:01

 

[Rope]

Rope

 

[heeman]

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music....

At The Movies - Soundtrack Hits -- CD

Van Morrison

2007 Manhattan Records

Best Single Disc Van Morrison Collection Available!, February 16, 2007
By Anthony Accordino (Massapequa Park, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Van Morrison At The Movies: Soundtrack Hits (Audio CD)

If you are in the market to own just one Van Morrison CD collection, Van Morrison "At The Movies", is the disc for you. This cd combines 19 tracks from all phases of his long distinguished career. The Irish soul man has never sounded better with remastered clarity, that makes this the choice over "Greatest Hits Vol-1 & Vol-2. This cd actually combines the best of those two collections and more. His classic gems from the "Them" days "Gloria", and "Baby Please Don't Go", are included here as well. His reworking of "Brown Eyed Girl", proves he has not lost anything from those vocal chords. His live take on "Caravan" from the "Last Waltz", is one of the finest live recordings ever. Lots of modern gems here as well, like 'Days Like This", "Real Real Gone", and the "Bright Side Of The Road". The real treat on this collection however, is the inclusion of his collaboration with Pink Floyds Roger Waters, on "Comfotably Numb", which was recorded live in Berlin in 1986 and features Rick Danko and Levon Helm. Some outstanding ballads are here as well like, "Someone Like You", "Have I Told You Lately", "Wonderful Remark", and "Hungry For Your Love". Considering the price and the fantastic content of this cd, I consider this cd essential to everyone who is both new to Van Morrison music and to well seasoned fans who would like to add a career retrospective not available until now. It doesn't get any better than this.

"Gloria" (performed by Them) (from The Outsiders)
"Baby, Please Don't Go" (performed by Them) (from Wild at Heart)
"Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" (from The Pope of Greenwich Village and Queens Logic)
"Domino (Live) (from Clean and Sober)
"Moondance (Live) (from An American Werewolf in London) (previously unreleased version)
"Queen of the Slipstream" (from Extreme Close-Up)
"Wild Night" (from Twenty Four Seven)
"Caravan" (Live with The Band - from The Last Waltz, 1976)
"Wonderful Remark" (from The King of Comedy)
"Brown Eyed Girl" (from Born on the 4 July) (previously unreleased version)
"Days Like This" (from As Good as It Gets)
"Into the Mystic" (Live) (from Patch Adams)
"Hungry for Your Love" (from An Officer and a Gentleman)
"Someone Like You" (from French Kiss and Bridget Jones's Diary)
"Bright Side of the Road" (from Fever Pitch and Michael)
"Have I Told You Lately" (from One Fine Day)
"Real Real Gone" (from Donovan Quick)
"Irish Heartbeat" (with the Chieftains) (from The Matchmaker)
"Comfortably Numb" (Live with Roger Waters, The Band & The Rundfunk Orchestra & Choir - from The Wall Concert in Berlin, 1990) (from The Departed)

Track 5: Van Morrison vocal overdub 2006, original recording 1986.

 

[topper]

(recorded in 1976 at the Roxy in Hollywood, CA)