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Dennie
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Today's work truck music...
Duets: Re-working The Catalogue -- CD
Van Morrison
2015 RCA Records
It's not hard to wonder if Van Morrison was trying to drive away listeners by titling this album Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue, a name that practically howls this is a work defined by a lack of ambition and a desire to rest on his laurels. The clumsy title is especially strange because this an honestly good album that doesn't fit those negative expectations. Even though Re-Working the Catalogue finds Morrison reviving songs from his extensive repertoire, he wisely focuses on lesser-known tunes rather than compete with his best-known work, and Morrison is able to generate a genuine enthusiasm for this music, which might not be the case if he tried to record "Moondance" or "Brown Eyed Girl" one more time. And the Belfast Soul Man for the most part has chosen duet partners with intelligence; rather than load up this set with current chart-toppers who have little knowledge of Morrison's legacy, most of the singers working with Morrison are cut from similar cloth, such as Steve Winwood, Chris Farlowe, Georgie Fame, and Bobby Womack (in what proved to be one of the latter's final recordings). If Joss Stone is considerably younger and more melismatic than Van's other partners, she understands what "Wild Honey" needs, and Michael Bubl delivers an admirably lively performance on "Real Real Gone." There are almost certainly other singers who would have sounded better on "Whatever Happened to P.J. Proby?," but Mr. Proby himself seems to be in on the joke with his delivery, and Van honestly sounds like he's having a lot of fun (not a common occurrence) with Taj Mahal on "How Can a Poor Boy?" And if Mavis Staples' voice is a bit rough on "If I Ever Needed Someone," she delivers the song with a churchy authority that Morrison clearly respects. As for Van himself, at the age of 69 his vocals lack the power and emotional force he so easily conjured in the '70s, but his sense of phrasing is as soulful and idiosyncratic as it has ever been, and he seems determined to find something in these songs that he missed the first time. This could easily have been a very lazy album, but Morrison gives this material an honest and thoughtful effort. (His grainy but potent sax work is a lot of fun, too.) And the production (by Don Was) and mix (by Bob Rock) is smooth without polishing out the personality of Morrison and his guests. Recutting a batch of your old songs is usually a sign you've run out of ideas, as is recording a full album of duets; while it's hard to know what Morrison's motivations were for making Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue, the pleasant surprise is that Morrison has managed to dodge both those bullets, and if it's a long way from a triumph, it's a solid, heartfelt work from a veteran artist who isn't about to give up the ghost. ~ Mark Deming
Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue Tracklist:
01. “Some Peace of Mind” w/ Bobby Womack (original version released on Hymns to the Silence, 1991)
02. “Lord, If I Ever Needed Someone” w/ Mavis Staples (original version released on His Band and the Street Choir, 1970)
03. “Higher Than The World” w/ George Benson (original version released on Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, 1983)
04. “Wild Honey” w/ Joss Stone (original version released on on Common One, 1980)
05. “Whatever Happened to P.J. Proby” w/ P.J. Proby (original version released on Down the Road, 2002)
06. “Carrying a Torch” w/ Clare Teal (original version released on Hymns to the Silence, 1991)
07. “The Eternal Kansas City” w/ Gregory Porter (original version released on A Period of Transition, 1977)
08. “Streets Of Arklow” w/ Mick Hucknall (original version released on Veedon Fleece, 1974)
09. “These Are The Days” w/ Natalie Cole (original version released on Avalon Sunset, 1989)
10. “Get On With The Show” w/ Georgie Fame (original version released on What’s Wrong with This Picture, 2003)
11. “Rough God Goes Riding” w/ Shana Morrison (original version released on The Healing Game, 1997)
12. “Fire in the Belly” w/ Steve Winwood (original version released on The Healing Game, 1997)
13. “Born To Sing” w/ Chris Farlowe (original version released on No Plan B, 2012)
14. “Irish Heartbeat” w/ Mark Knopfler (original version released on Irish Heartbeat, 1988)
15. “Real Real Gone” w/ Michael Bublé (original version released on Enlightenment, 1990)
16. “How Can A Poor Boy” w/ Taj Mahal (original version released on Keep It Simple, 2008)
Duets: Re-working The Catalogue -- CD
Van Morrison
2015 RCA Records
It's not hard to wonder if Van Morrison was trying to drive away listeners by titling this album Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue, a name that practically howls this is a work defined by a lack of ambition and a desire to rest on his laurels. The clumsy title is especially strange because this an honestly good album that doesn't fit those negative expectations. Even though Re-Working the Catalogue finds Morrison reviving songs from his extensive repertoire, he wisely focuses on lesser-known tunes rather than compete with his best-known work, and Morrison is able to generate a genuine enthusiasm for this music, which might not be the case if he tried to record "Moondance" or "Brown Eyed Girl" one more time. And the Belfast Soul Man for the most part has chosen duet partners with intelligence; rather than load up this set with current chart-toppers who have little knowledge of Morrison's legacy, most of the singers working with Morrison are cut from similar cloth, such as Steve Winwood, Chris Farlowe, Georgie Fame, and Bobby Womack (in what proved to be one of the latter's final recordings). If Joss Stone is considerably younger and more melismatic than Van's other partners, she understands what "Wild Honey" needs, and Michael Bubl delivers an admirably lively performance on "Real Real Gone." There are almost certainly other singers who would have sounded better on "Whatever Happened to P.J. Proby?," but Mr. Proby himself seems to be in on the joke with his delivery, and Van honestly sounds like he's having a lot of fun (not a common occurrence) with Taj Mahal on "How Can a Poor Boy?" And if Mavis Staples' voice is a bit rough on "If I Ever Needed Someone," she delivers the song with a churchy authority that Morrison clearly respects. As for Van himself, at the age of 69 his vocals lack the power and emotional force he so easily conjured in the '70s, but his sense of phrasing is as soulful and idiosyncratic as it has ever been, and he seems determined to find something in these songs that he missed the first time. This could easily have been a very lazy album, but Morrison gives this material an honest and thoughtful effort. (His grainy but potent sax work is a lot of fun, too.) And the production (by Don Was) and mix (by Bob Rock) is smooth without polishing out the personality of Morrison and his guests. Recutting a batch of your old songs is usually a sign you've run out of ideas, as is recording a full album of duets; while it's hard to know what Morrison's motivations were for making Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue, the pleasant surprise is that Morrison has managed to dodge both those bullets, and if it's a long way from a triumph, it's a solid, heartfelt work from a veteran artist who isn't about to give up the ghost. ~ Mark Deming
Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue Tracklist:
01. “Some Peace of Mind” w/ Bobby Womack (original version released on Hymns to the Silence, 1991)
02. “Lord, If I Ever Needed Someone” w/ Mavis Staples (original version released on His Band and the Street Choir, 1970)
03. “Higher Than The World” w/ George Benson (original version released on Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, 1983)
04. “Wild Honey” w/ Joss Stone (original version released on on Common One, 1980)
05. “Whatever Happened to P.J. Proby” w/ P.J. Proby (original version released on Down the Road, 2002)
06. “Carrying a Torch” w/ Clare Teal (original version released on Hymns to the Silence, 1991)
07. “The Eternal Kansas City” w/ Gregory Porter (original version released on A Period of Transition, 1977)
08. “Streets Of Arklow” w/ Mick Hucknall (original version released on Veedon Fleece, 1974)
09. “These Are The Days” w/ Natalie Cole (original version released on Avalon Sunset, 1989)
10. “Get On With The Show” w/ Georgie Fame (original version released on What’s Wrong with This Picture, 2003)
11. “Rough God Goes Riding” w/ Shana Morrison (original version released on The Healing Game, 1997)
12. “Fire in the Belly” w/ Steve Winwood (original version released on The Healing Game, 1997)
13. “Born To Sing” w/ Chris Farlowe (original version released on No Plan B, 2012)
14. “Irish Heartbeat” w/ Mark Knopfler (original version released on Irish Heartbeat, 1988)
15. “Real Real Gone” w/ Michael Bublé (original version released on Enlightenment, 1990)
16. “How Can A Poor Boy” w/ Taj Mahal (original version released on Keep It Simple, 2008)
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Today's work truck music...
More Best of -- CD
Leonard Cohen
1997 Columbia Records
Amazon.com
Canadian poet Leonard Cohen sings with great weight and authority and his lyrics are among the most elegant and scripted of the rock era. This collection is culled from his past three albums (1988's I'm Your Man, 1992's The Future, and 1994's Cohen Live) and shows a man whose voice has deepened to the point of grim, foreboding death with lyrics sharpened to masterful precision. The arrangements are deliberately clunky--the cheese- whiz female back-ups lend unusual tension bordering on parody--but the sentiments are for real. Two previously unreleased cuts, "Never Any Good" and the non-event, "The Great Event" suggest his well is currently dry. But the unrelenting bleakness of "The Future" and uneasy celebration of "Democracy" are among the past decade's most challenging pop works. --Rob O'Connor
"Everybody Knows"
"I'm Your Man"
"Take This Waltz"
"Tower of Song"
"Anthem"
"Democracy"
"The Future"
"Closing Time"
"Dance Me to the End of Love" (live)
"Suzanne" (live)
"Hallelujah" (live)
"Never Any Good"
"The Great Event"
More Best of -- CD
Leonard Cohen
1997 Columbia Records
Amazon.com
Canadian poet Leonard Cohen sings with great weight and authority and his lyrics are among the most elegant and scripted of the rock era. This collection is culled from his past three albums (1988's I'm Your Man, 1992's The Future, and 1994's Cohen Live) and shows a man whose voice has deepened to the point of grim, foreboding death with lyrics sharpened to masterful precision. The arrangements are deliberately clunky--the cheese- whiz female back-ups lend unusual tension bordering on parody--but the sentiments are for real. Two previously unreleased cuts, "Never Any Good" and the non-event, "The Great Event" suggest his well is currently dry. But the unrelenting bleakness of "The Future" and uneasy celebration of "Democracy" are among the past decade's most challenging pop works. --Rob O'Connor
"Everybody Knows"
"I'm Your Man"
"Take This Waltz"
"Tower of Song"
"Anthem"
"Democracy"
"The Future"
"Closing Time"
"Dance Me to the End of Love" (live)
"Suzanne" (live)
"Hallelujah" (live)
"Never Any Good"
"The Great Event"
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Today's work truck music...
Shadowland - The Owen Bradley Sessions -- CD
K.D. Lang
1988 Sire Records
Amazon.com essential recording
Pulling out all the Nashville stops, k.d. lang's 1988 album is a meticulously crafted work, her bid for mainstream country acceptance, and an homage to her idol Patsy Cline. Surrounded by the brilliance of Owen Bradley's string-laced production and a host of legendary pickers (Buddy Emmons and Pete Wade) and singers (Kitty Wells, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn), lang's voice soars and moans like a dove. After the lush Chris Isaak-penned opener "Western Stars," lang follows with more-familiar country writers, from Roger Miller ("Lock, Stock and Teardrops") to Harlan Howard ("I'm Down to My Last Cigarette"). Both a commercial (the album went gold) and artistic success, Shadowland ranks as one of the best country records of the 1980s. --Roy Francis Kasten
Side one
"Western Stars" (Chris Isaak) – 3:12
"Lock, Stock and Teardrops" (Roger Miller) – 3:28
"Sugar Moon" (Cindy Walker, Bob Wills) – 2:26
"I Wish I Didn't Love You So" (Frank Loesser) – 3:07
"(Waltz Me) Once Again Around the Dance Floor" (Don Goodman, Sara Johns, Jack Rowland) – 2:35
"Black Coffee" (Sonny Burke, Paul Francis Webster) – 3:17
Side two
"Shadowland" (Dick Hyman, Charles Tobias) – 2:28
"Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" (Slim Willet) – 2:20
"Tears Don't Care Who Cries Them" (Fred Tobias, Charles Tobias) – 3:03
"I'm Down to My Last Cigarette" (Harlan Howard, Billy Walker) – 2:46
"Busy Being Blue" (Stewart MacDougall) – 3:40
"Honky Tonk Angels' Medley" – 2:55
"In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)" (Leroy Carr, Don Raye)
"You Nearly Lose Your Mind" (Ernest Tubb)
"Blues Stay Away from Me" (Alton Delmore, Rabon Delmore, Wayne Raney, Henry Glover)
Shadowland - The Owen Bradley Sessions -- CD
K.D. Lang
1988 Sire Records
Amazon.com essential recording
Pulling out all the Nashville stops, k.d. lang's 1988 album is a meticulously crafted work, her bid for mainstream country acceptance, and an homage to her idol Patsy Cline. Surrounded by the brilliance of Owen Bradley's string-laced production and a host of legendary pickers (Buddy Emmons and Pete Wade) and singers (Kitty Wells, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn), lang's voice soars and moans like a dove. After the lush Chris Isaak-penned opener "Western Stars," lang follows with more-familiar country writers, from Roger Miller ("Lock, Stock and Teardrops") to Harlan Howard ("I'm Down to My Last Cigarette"). Both a commercial (the album went gold) and artistic success, Shadowland ranks as one of the best country records of the 1980s. --Roy Francis Kasten
Side one
"Western Stars" (Chris Isaak) – 3:12
"Lock, Stock and Teardrops" (Roger Miller) – 3:28
"Sugar Moon" (Cindy Walker, Bob Wills) – 2:26
"I Wish I Didn't Love You So" (Frank Loesser) – 3:07
"(Waltz Me) Once Again Around the Dance Floor" (Don Goodman, Sara Johns, Jack Rowland) – 2:35
"Black Coffee" (Sonny Burke, Paul Francis Webster) – 3:17
Side two
"Shadowland" (Dick Hyman, Charles Tobias) – 2:28
"Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" (Slim Willet) – 2:20
"Tears Don't Care Who Cries Them" (Fred Tobias, Charles Tobias) – 3:03
"I'm Down to My Last Cigarette" (Harlan Howard, Billy Walker) – 2:46
"Busy Being Blue" (Stewart MacDougall) – 3:40
"Honky Tonk Angels' Medley" – 2:55
"In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)" (Leroy Carr, Don Raye)
"You Nearly Lose Your Mind" (Ernest Tubb)
"Blues Stay Away from Me" (Alton Delmore, Rabon Delmore, Wayne Raney, Henry Glover)
Every once in a while, I take to Google to search for CDs with the best sound quality and/or highest production quality just to see what comes up. This time, instead of just perusing a list or two and deciding whether I wanted to buy anything, I kept a total of 6 lists open in their own browser tabs and went back and forth between them to see what albums were on the most lists. I didn't notice any that were on all 6 lists (at least not albums I didn't already have) but I did find 8 albums that I didn't own that were on at least 4 of the lists.
I pulled the trigger on all 8.
7 of them arrived today.
Gonna be a busy if not enjoyable evening. :music-listening:
Hopefully I'll find at least 1 song on each album that I really and truly like (musically speaking). Hopefully I find several from each that at least sound fantastic.
I pulled the trigger on all 8.
7 of them arrived today.
Gonna be a busy if not enjoyable evening. :music-listening:
Hopefully I'll find at least 1 song on each album that I really and truly like (musically speaking). Hopefully I find several from each that at least sound fantastic.
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Today's work truck music...
Deguello -- CD
ZZ Top
1979 Warner Bros. Records
Amazon.com
First released in 1979, Deguello was three years in the making. Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard had disappeared into the sagebrush to recharge their batteries following their grueling World Texas Tour. They returned with a new antic sense of themselves that first appeared in songs like "Cheap Sunglasses," "She Loves My Automobile," and "Esther Be the One" and came to fruition almost four years later with Eliminator. Deguello forges the last link to the band's early blues-rock years, before they became the sleeker, less threatening entity that graced MTV during the '80s. Tunes like their rendering of David Porter and Isaac Hayes's steamy "I Thank You," the salacious "Hi Fi Mama," and the boastful "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" careen on the edges of good taste, but these guys didn't give a *** who they offended as long as they entertained. And, of course, they did entertain legions of fans with their ribald lyrics, off-kilter timing, and Gibbons's daredevil guitar wizardry. But ZZ Top isn't all hard edges and pinup fantasies; the heartbreakingly beautiful intro to their eccentric love song, "Fool for Her Stockings" rivals the lyricism of Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary." --Jaan Uhelszki
All songs by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, except where noted.
Side A
"I Thank You" (Isaac Hayes, David Porter) – 3:23
"She Loves My Automobile" – 2:24
"I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" – 4:46
"A Fool for Your Stockings" – 4:15
"Manic Mechanic" – 2:37
Side B
"Dust My Broom" (Robert Johnson) – 3:06
"Lowdown in the Street" – 2:49
"Hi Fi Mama" – 2:23
"Cheap Sunglasses" – 4:48
"Esther Be the One" – 3:31
Deguello -- CD
ZZ Top
1979 Warner Bros. Records
Amazon.com
First released in 1979, Deguello was three years in the making. Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard had disappeared into the sagebrush to recharge their batteries following their grueling World Texas Tour. They returned with a new antic sense of themselves that first appeared in songs like "Cheap Sunglasses," "She Loves My Automobile," and "Esther Be the One" and came to fruition almost four years later with Eliminator. Deguello forges the last link to the band's early blues-rock years, before they became the sleeker, less threatening entity that graced MTV during the '80s. Tunes like their rendering of David Porter and Isaac Hayes's steamy "I Thank You," the salacious "Hi Fi Mama," and the boastful "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" careen on the edges of good taste, but these guys didn't give a *** who they offended as long as they entertained. And, of course, they did entertain legions of fans with their ribald lyrics, off-kilter timing, and Gibbons's daredevil guitar wizardry. But ZZ Top isn't all hard edges and pinup fantasies; the heartbreakingly beautiful intro to their eccentric love song, "Fool for Her Stockings" rivals the lyricism of Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary." --Jaan Uhelszki
All songs by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, except where noted.
Side A
"I Thank You" (Isaac Hayes, David Porter) – 3:23
"She Loves My Automobile" – 2:24
"I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" – 4:46
"A Fool for Your Stockings" – 4:15
"Manic Mechanic" – 2:37
Side B
"Dust My Broom" (Robert Johnson) – 3:06
"Lowdown in the Street" – 2:49
"Hi Fi Mama" – 2:23
"Cheap Sunglasses" – 4:48
"Esther Be the One" – 3:31
