While researching this post, I realized there are numerous references to hell in the Uncle Tupelo catalog. Off the top of my head you have "Your heaven looks just like my hell" (Cold Shoulder), "It's a long way to heaven, it's a short way to hell" (Sauget Wind), and "Just as well to write this postcard from hell" (Postcard), a line which spawned an internet music group I've been a part of for several years now. However, those tunes weren't really about this week's subject, which is alternatively hell, Satan (in his many guises), and sin. You know ... the good stuff. For that, we turn to a pair of covers.
Uncle Tupelo - Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down [album version] [purchase]
Uncle Tupelo - Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down [live version]
"Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" was originally recorded in the 1930s and can be found on Tupelo's March 16-20, 1992 album, which at the time was an acoustic country-folk left turn in their post-punk discography. It also got the alt.country mythwagon gassed up for good. Produced by Peter Buck, the album is a true sleeper in the Tweedy/Farrar database, yielding a number of great performances, and a collection of songs (about half covers, half originals) that has almost universally stood the test of time. Listen to March for a solid weekend and you're likely to be hooked for good. For a great write-up on the origin of "Satan" ... as well as the other cover songs officially released by Uncle Tupelo ... please visit The Gumbo Pages, the unofficial Uncle Tupelo archives and essential reading for longtime Tupelo fans and newbies alike.. As a bonus, I've included a live version of the song, which actually comes from their final show, on May 1, 1994, in St. Louis. Where the recorded version is driven by Tweedy's acoustic guitar, the live version is propelled by Max Johnston on fiddle and Ken Coomer on drums.
Uncle Tupelo - Sin City [purchase]
This old town is filled with sin,
It'll swallow you in
If you've got some money to burn.
So take it home right away,
You've got three years to pay
But Satan is waiting his turn.
This old earthquake's gonna leave me in the poor house.
It seems like this whole town's insane.
On the thirty-first floor a gold plated door
Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain.
"Sin City" was a Gram Parsons-Chris Hillman co-write that originally appears on the Flying Burrito Brothers' debut LP ... wait for it ... wait for it ... Gilded Palace Of Sin. I fully expect at least one, if not two songs, from Gilded to be posted by week's end, so consider this Farrar/Tweedy version a teaser. This was actually the B-side to Uncle Tupelo's first single, "I Got Drunk" (1990). While they were probably closer in spirit and sound to Husker Du and The Minutemen, this track was a window on what was to come.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Hell Week: Uncle Tupelo Edition
Hell Week: The Devil
The Rapture: The Devil
[purchase]
The Rapture formed in 1998 by keyboardist Chris Relyea, drummer Vito Roccoforte and guitarist/vocalist Luke Jenner. I could mention they had two EPs released on Sub Pop and Pitchfork awarded them album of the year for Echoes, but it would be better if you heard them yourself - download The Devil... if you dare.
Hell Week: Satan Gave Me A Taco
Beck: Satan Gave Me A Taco
[purchase]
Beck got his taco, and he got to eat it, too!
Lot's of folks in the indie music scene seem convinced that the major labels are Evil. That opinion is debatable, I suppose, but when Beck signed with Geffen, he managed a clause in his contract that allowed him to release indepenent albums, in addition to ones on Geffen. Not quite totally evil, then.
P.S. I realize that Beck already made the listings this week, in a haberdasher-ary manner, but this song was just too good for me to pass up.
Hell Week: Satan Is Real
The Louvin Brothers, Satan Is Real
[purchase]
A gorgeous gospel country waltz from the masters of sibling harmony, recorded all the way back in 1959 on an album of the same name. Sandwiched between the two sweet, light choruses -- a scant minute or less of sweet pre-Everly Brothers harmony chorus and delicate bass and guitar -- the bulk of this song is a long preacher-troped anti-pulpit speech straight out of the pews of the Baptist tradition, a confessional framed lyrically as a counterpart to the preacher's focus on heaven above, for the benefit of both preacher and sinner, and complete with church organ undertones.
A major tip of the hat to two of our beloved contributors, Brendan and the aptly-named-for-the-theme Ramone666, for introducing me to this one:
- Brendan featured this song and album at The Rising Storm way back in September, and his pitch is powerful; stop by The Rising Storm to pick up another track from the same album alongside a great write-up of the sound and sensibility behind this masterwork.
- Ramone666 re-introduced us to Satan Is Real in April on For The Sake of the Song; the tracks are long gone, but his loving album review is full of additional backstory and eminently worth reading, too, so head on over to hear the rest of the story.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Hell Week: I Chase the Devil
Max Romeo & the Upsetters: I Chase the Devil
[purchase]
Here's a 1976 reggae classic, produced by Lee Perry and later sampled in the 90s by the Prodigy and a few years later by Jay-Z on his track "Lucifer"—you'll hear his sample right at the start. Nothing beats the original though, in which Romeo promises to chase the devil into outer space, where he can torment aliens instead of us humans.
Hell Week: Race With The Devil
Gene Vincent: Race With The Devil
[purchase]
Do you think you could outrun the Devil on Judgement Day? Gene Vincent thought so, he raced the Devil doing 101 MPH. Rockabilly goodness from Gene & the Bluecaps - move, hotrod... move, man.
Hell Week: Don't Worry, If There's A Hell Below (We're All Gonna Go)
Curtis Mayfield: Don't Worry, If There's A Hell Below (We're All Gonna Go)
[purchase]
Curtis Mayfield is one of the few members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who have been inducted more than once - first with the Impressions in 1991 and again as a solo artist in 1999. The lowdown about the tune from allmusic:
Mayfield's fragile falsetto voice continues to get hit with doses of tape echo throughout the seven-plus minute track, a technique that influenced reggae/ dub producers like Lee "Scratch" Perry. It is a caustic rack, especially as the first single from Mayfield's solo career, but it did well on the charts, reaching number three on the R&B charts and 29 on the pop charts.
I'm glad to have occasion to post this, one of Curtis Mayfield's most overlooked songs.
Hell Week: Go To Hell
Alice Cooper: Go To Hell
[purchase]
Sort of a concept album- the concept being Alice sent to hell for the outrages he's been party to (and partying to!) up on Earth- 1976's Alice Cooper Goes To Hell is one of Alice's better works, in my opinion.
My favorite part of the song is a list of things Alice would do, since he is so depraved, and a perfect Paul Lynde voice suggests, "You'd gift-wrap a leper and mail it to your Aunt Jane."
Hell Week: Fire
Arthur Brown: Fire
[purchase]
Arthur Brown was the King of Hellfire, so much so he would arrive on stage wearing a flaming crown, as pictured above. Well before the days of Kiss and Alice Cooper, Art Brown would fuel a metal helmet with methanol and set it aflame - one time in Windsor it leaked out and his head caught fire. Lucky for him, two bystanders doused the flames by pouring beer on his head.
The Crazy Word Of Arthur Brown, the album from which Fire comes from, was produced by long-time Who manager and producer Kit Lambert, Pete Townshend was the associate producer. Carl Palmer, who went on to join Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, played drums. Fire hit #2 on Billboard, #1 in the UK in August 1968 and #19 in Australia in October 1968.
Hell Week: The Devil's Real
Chris Smither: The Devil's Real
[purchase]
You may not recognize the swallowed tenor wail and growl of swamp-folk singer-songwriter Chris Smither, but you know his songs: I Feel The Same and Love Me Like A Man, two of Bonnie Raitt's earliest, biggest hits, were penned by him, back when he a young muse in the sixties folk scene. After losing a chunk of the seventies and eighties to drink, Smither managed to get his act together, but this song, written for his 1993 studio-recorded comeback album Happier Blue, makes it clear: this is a guy who knows his subject -- and knows how to mine it for lyrical gold.
I don't usually post full lyrics, but you gotta see this written out, and not just 'cause Smither mumbles a bit when he sings. Folks, THIS is confessional folksong at its best:
The Devil ain’t a legend, the Devil’s real,
In the empty way he touched me where I hardly feel,
The empty hole inside me,
The nothin’ that could ride me
Down into my grave. It does not heal.
The nothin’ is a something that can suck you dry
As the whisper you can hardly hear that tells you why.
He told me, “You ain’t got no problem, you’re self-deceived.
These seeming contradictions are all make-believe.”
It was then that I decided that my life was being guided
By a second-rate dependence on first-class thieves
They told me I was breaking through when I was breaking down,
By the time I learned the difference they had long left town.
But they ain’t so malicious, they ain’t mean.
They just vaguely well-intentioned with no love I’ve seen
It’s the emptiness that kills you,
Cold comfort that can fill you
With a sense of dread that maybe things are worse than they seem.
They don’t tell you nothin’ that you don’t already know.
They keep holdin’ out the promise, but they don’t let go.
It was hard luck and trouble, bad times too.
I know I had it comin’, but I got through.
It was advice that you gave me
In a dream that saved me.
You said, “Get a new life-contract that spells out your dues.”
Took good will to find it, a clear conscience to sign it,
Now I dream about the good times and they all come true.
Today Chris Smither is the best acoustic blues guitarist on the folk circuit, and he just keeps getting better and better with each successive album. I saw him this winter from the very first row of a tiny New England venue, and his version of Dylan's Visions of Johanna blew me away; he'll headline at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival this month, and I can't wait to see him again.
Want to hear more? This blog entry on Chris Smither has TEN more tracks available for download: five covers by Smither, including another "Devil" song that we're sure to hear more of this week, and five bonus covertracks.
Hell Week: Hell
Squirrel Nut Zippers: Hell
[purchase]
I love everything about this song - the quirky retro sound, the lyrics - it even has a great video. But, at the beginning of the decade, the band had slowly splintered. In 2007, they announced a reunion, but minus key original members Ken Mosher and Tom Maxwell. I can't imagine anything more appropriate for Hell Week than Hell - enjoy!
Hell Week: Pretty Polly
The Byrds: Pretty Polly
[purchase]
For whatever reason, following the first two most obvious songs for this theme (all together now... yep, those are the ones), this was the first one to come to my mind. This is a dark song by The Byrds. Willie leads poor Polly to a freshly dug hole in the ground and reveals to her that he spent the previous night digging it with a spade. Then he stabs her in the heart causing her to fall into the cold pit.
Now a debt to the devil, that Willy must pay
A debt to the devil, that willy must pay
For killing pretty polly and running away
An evil song for an evil week here at SMM.
Hell Week: What's the Devil look like?
Well of course there are all manner of lesser imps and demons, but the Great Satan himself is red and scaly with a bifurcated tail and he carries a hay fork.
O Brother Where Art Thou?: Devil Clip [purchase]
Beck: Devil’s Haircut [purchase]
I guess this is as good a song as any to kick off Hell Week at SMM.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Fifty States: Gourds Edition ("Lower 48")
Gourds: Lower 48 [purchase]
First of all, happy 232nd birthday, America. You don't look a day over 180. I don't care what Canada says. So, in tribute to the American continent, I present to you "Lower 48," a tune that celebrates the continental U S of A. Sorry, Alaska and Hawaii.
The Gourds have been stirring their Texas gumbo for over a decade now and this is fairly representative of their Doug Sahm-meets-Los Lobos sound. This album (Blood On The Ram) actually marked their departure from a strict acoustic sound ... except for Jimmy Smith's bass, anyway ... to a template that now features electric guitar and Nord keyboard. The Gourds are best known for their rendition of "Gin 'n' Juice," but the novelty of that cover shouldn't obscure the fact that they're one of the most unique and soulful roots-rock bands of the last couple decades. Enjoy ... and happy 4th.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Washington: Spokane Motel Blues
Tom T. Hall: Spokane Motel Blues
[purchase]
I love Tom T. Hall. Mostly because Tom T. Hall loves life.
The only connection to Washington in this song is the location of the motel room in which Tom T. sits wishing he were doing something more fun with his buddies. When you hear the list of things he’d rather be doing, you realize he knows how to have a pretty good time.
Pennsylvania: U.S. Steel
Tom Russell: U.S. Steel
[purchase]
A good song about the closing of the steel works in Homestead, Pennsylvania.
From the Wikipedia entry:
“Settled in 1871, Homestead was chartered in 1880. For most of its first 100 years, Homestead served as the place where one of the world's most productive steel mills existed. About 7,000 men were employed in the plant around the turn of the century in 1900 when the population of Homestead was 12,554 people. The industrious people of Homestead increased their numbers to 18,713 in 1910, and to 20,452 in 1920.
In 1940, 19,041 people lived in Homestead. During the early 1940s half the population was displaced as the United States Government added on to the steel mills to have the capacity for armor plating for ships and tanks (preparing for WWII). After the end of World War II, a decline in the steel-making industry of the United States took place.
By 1970, it had become well-nigh impossible to obtain employment at the Homestead Works, which was not producing much steel at that time. In 1984, the mill closed and The Homestead Works was demolished, replaced in 1999 by The Waterfront shopping mall. As a direct result of the loss of mill employment, the number of people living in Homestead dwindled. By the time of the 2000 census, the borough population was 3,569. The borough began financially/economically recovering in 2002, with the enlarging retail tax base.”
Washington: Filthfarm Of Washington State
Birds Of Prey: Filthfarm Of Washington State
[purchase]
The positive side of Birds Of Prey - they make GWAR sound good.
All fiddy states - fini!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Pennsylvania: Needmore, Pennsylvania
The Mommyheads: Needmore, Pennsylvania
[purchase]
Here's one that actually has the word Pennsylvania in the title! If someone can nail down Washington we will officially have all 50 states. I have looked and I can't find one that is actually about Washington state, but it has to be out there somewhere. C'mon SMM'ers -- don't give up the fight.
Washington: Roll On Columbia
Woody Guthrie: Roll On Columbia
[purchase]
This one follows the journey of the Columbia River through Washington State, and the history it has seen on its travels.
Washington: Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle / Olympia
Nirvana: Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle
[purchase]
Hole: Olympia
[purchase]
N.B. If you follow the 'purchase' link to Hole's Live Through This, you will not see Olympia listed...fear not, it is there, but it was part of that whole 90s 'secret track' phenomenon.
Right, I'm off to bed...1.39am here in the UK!
Washington: Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues
Todd Snider: Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues
[purchase]
Modern folk troubadour Todd Snider channels Arlo Guthrie in this half-spoken tale of rock god rise and fall circa the Seattle grunge movement of the late eighties and early nineties. The lyrics poke fun at grunge rock and its players, but like Guthrie, Snider has a bigger target in mind: underneath the hilarious send-up of the "alternative" label and grunge pose (pensive) and hairstyle (long, over the face) is a cohesive, biting social commentary on the commercial phenomenon that is/was the star maker machine, from A&R to MTV and back again, just before the napsterization of culture changed the rules of the game. Appropriate, for a guy who has somehow managed to elude true fame, despite being one of the best inheritors of the likes of John Prine, Billy Joe Shaver, and other wry working-class songwriters with an eye for blue-collar honesty and a storyteller's way with honest words.
Notably, then, the song isn't really anti-grunge; grunge is just a vehicle to get Snider somewhere much more important. As such, posting this one isn't intended to be a pre-emptive strike on what may well be Washington State's biggest contribution to the world of music so much as it is a way to ensure that any subsequent grunge music posted for this theme (or indeed any theme) can be heard in the proper historical context. But writ large, I think it also goes farther: like a few others out there (Tom Petty's Into the Great Wide Open), this is a meta-song, an industry product about industry product; as such, it tickles my irony bone while it provides a particular framework for how we hear any industry-produced music.
Someday, it would be fun to tackle songs about hitmaking, and turn the blog loose on the aging, dying industry, kicking it while it's going down. In the meantime, I'd say more, but the song kind of says it for us.
Purchase note: Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues was actually a hidden track on Todd Snider's first album, 1994's Songs for the Daily Planet; the purchase link above goes to That Was Me, which compiles the best of Snider's first three albums. Either or both, folks, but get some Snider if you haven't already.
Pennsylvania: The Scrapple Song
Robbie Fulks: The Scrapple Song [purchase]
I was curious if we were gonna loosen the reins for the last two states because I've had this Fulks number waiting in the wings. Thankfully, I now get to share it. By the way, if you ever get to see Robbie live, he's hysterically funny, bears an uncanny resemblance to former Sixer, Shawn Bradley (here's a pic of Fulks and here's a pic of Bradley), and is an absolute monster of a guitar player. Seriously, he could join any bluegrass band in the country and hold his own. In the meantime, pull up to the table and dig in to some scrapple.
"The mom and pop diners 'round Allentown,
Don't really have much that a fella can hold down,
And the folks up around Philly and Bethlehem,
Ain't gourmet types, really, or chefly men.
Now, they're God-fearin' folk in that Keystone State,
But their food ain't fit for a collection plate,
There's things for all kinds of people to hate,
But there's one that everybody loves.
And they call it SCRAPPLE SCRAPPLE,
Corn-beef steamed and hog-meat dappled,
Set by the window 'til it's cold and hard,
Sliced up thick and fried in lard.
Hey, what's that swimmin' in the big bread pan,
That's kickin' up all this mania,
It's SCRAPPLE SCRAPPLE
The pride of Pennsylvania."
The Final Two States: PA & WA
As the USA is about to celebrate its 232nd birthday on Friday, it's fitting that the final two states left in our little game are Pennsylvania (where the Declaration of Independence was signed) and Washington (named after the first American President).
Unfortunately, these two fine states are not named in the titles of many songs. But that doesn't mean they aren't any good songs about them.
So, for the next couple of days, our mini-theme here at SMM will be songs relating to Pennsylvania or Washington. Maybe you can think of a song about a city located in one of these states, or about a particular industry (i.e., coal mining, jet planes, apples) or person associated with Pennsylvania or Washington.
(The titles of your posts should begin with "Pennsylvania:" or "Washington:" but keep using the "fifty states" label. The one post per state rule will be lifted for Pennsylvania and Washington.)
Fifty states: Delaware
City and Colour: Hello, I'm In Delaware
[purchase]
I'm not, as it happens...I'm in Tyne and Wear.
Not the greatest of songs, but it fits the bill!
Try also (still not great songs, but it proves that somebody's thought of it!):
Neal Casal: Delaware Station [purchase]
Saves the Day: Hot Time In Delaware [purchase]
Drop Nineteens: Delaware [purchase]
Fifty States: Virginia
Dave Alvin: East Virginia Blues
[purchase]
Johnny Cash: East Virginia Blues
["purchase"]
Crooked Still: Old Virginia
[purchase]
Three vastly different versions of this old public domain tune paint three very different approaches to folk music; taken together, the set provides a nice exploration of diversity in folksong, I think. Plus, Grateful Dead fans will find a familiar verse in there, too. Nothing new under the sun, as far as traditional folksong goes.
The Cash is from an unauthorized bootleg, which is fitting for a public domain song. The Dave Alvin version is from an album called Public Domain. I reviewed Crooked Still just last week; theirs is the best cello-infused traditional folk out there today. Other than that final note, I'm going to let the music speak for itself.
Fifty States: Connecticut
Superchunk: Connecticut
[purchase]
I know little of Connecticut. Overall, it's a nice place to live and home of Yale University. Superchunk sing about going to the water's edge with scary thoughts. There you have it!
Fifty States: Nebraska
Victoria Spivey: Nebraska Blues
[purchase]
Victoria Spivey was a Blues Women that was part of the 60s revival of the genre - from The Red Hot Jazz Archive, one of the very best Jazz & Blues sites on the Net:
Victoria Spivey got her start in music at age twelve when she began playing piano in a movie theater in Houston, Texas. From there she expanded her musical career to playing in saloons and whorehouses. She was was a big fan of the Blues singer Ida Cox and modeled her own career after Cox's. In 1926 at the the age of twenty she traveled to St. Louis where Okeh records was on a field trip looking for new acts to record. She recorded her own songs Black Snake Blues and Dirty Woman Blues which became a best selling record. Over the the next two years she was quite a hot item and recorded records almost once a month, often with the accompaniment of great Jazz musicians like Lonnie Johnson, Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Clarence Williams, Luis Russell and many others, including her sister Addie "Sweet Pease" Spivey. In 1929 she played a small role in King Vidor's early film musical "Hallelujah". As the Blues craze and the record industry in general hit the skids in the early 1930s, Spivey somehow managed to keep recording and performing unlike almost all of the other Classic Blues singers. She expanded into playing in vaudeville musical revues, including the acclaimed Hellzapoppin' Revue in New York City and recorded and toured with Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra. Spivey was constantly working, playing countless one-night stands throughout the 1930s and 1940s, but by the l950s, Spivey had left show business, but continued singing in the church choir in her home in Brooklyn. Victoria returned to show business in 1962 when she formed her own record company, Spivey Records. Her first record on the label featured Bob Dylan as an accompanist. So, Spivey's career began again in the early 1960s; she began performing in folk and blues festivals and in nightclubs in and around New York City and continued to record for the rest of her life.
Victoria Spivey, born in October, 1906, was married four times, and in October of 1976, at the age of 69, died from an internal hemorrhage.
Fifty states: Indiana
Tom Petty: Mary Jane's Last Dance
[purchase]
If you click that link, it will take you to the Wikipedia page about the song, where you can read about a couple of 'borrowing' controversies...it goes like this: The Jayhawks -> Tom Petty -> Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Fifty States: Arizona
Wilco: Hotel Arizona
[purchase]
Furthermore, and etc etc. etc... don't we all think things like this sound perfecto? Oh, no? Well... why the heck no, then? Of course this is the best rock -y Roll err sounds..... but I'm sloshed, so might not be right....
But it makes "Arizona" get checked from the list, so...
And, since I dunno nuthin' about the actual Arizona, is gonna be as good as gosh.
Fifty States: Idaho
The B-52's: Private Idaho
[purchase]
I love this song because it coined the phrase, "d00d, you're living in your own private Idaho", something I've been known to utter on occasion. There was also a great film based on it, Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho. Since Idaho is the potato state, you'd think that Devo, aka "The Spud Boys", would have an Idaho song, but the closest they got was the lyrics of Red Eye Express: "Something's rotten in Idaho and I don't know what to do" - I have the mp3 posted here, if interested. Now, sit back and enjoy The B-52's paean to self-absorption.
You're livin in your own Private Idaho
You're out of control, the rivers that roll
You fell into the water and down to Idaho
Get out of that state
Get out of that state you're in
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Fifty States: Wisconsin
I'm going to get a reputaion as a weirdo, here in the Machine, if I keep poting up oddball stuff like this, but (for this state, at least) I haven't got much choice. They're the only Wisconsin tunes I've got!
The Dead Milkmen: I'm Living In Wisconsin
[purchase other Milkmen releases]
First up is a fairly sweet song from The Dead Milkmen off the 1983 self-released cassette A Date With The Dead Milkmen. Not too easy to get ahold of, that one, so the link goes to their official Amazon page. All their major label stuff is available there.
Wesley Willis: Wisconsin State Trooper
The next tune is by the late Wesley Willis. I can't do justice to this madcap, in such a short space, so urge you to read up on him on Wikipedia and listen to some more of his stuff over at Alternative Tentacles. He's certainly not for everyone, but was definately an interesting beast.
Fifty States: Kansas
Damnations: Kansas [purchase]
So, I go from posting about The Jayhawks to posting about the Jayhawk State. The Damnations, however, were not from Kansas. In fact, they were a group of Austinites, led by a pair of gorgeous, folk-singing sisters originally from upstate New York. Bassist Amy Boone sings lead on this tale of "Bleeding Kansas," with acoustic rhythm guitar and harmonies provided by her sister, Deborah Kelly. Meanwhile, Rob Bernard (also of Prescott Curlywolf) takes a break from his Eddie Van Halen meets D. Boon guitar badassery to hunker down on banjo and mandolin, while fellow Prescott moonlighter, Keith Langford, holds down the drum kit. (Soon after this recording, Langford would leave both The Damnations and Prescott Curlywolf to join The Gourds full-time, where he remains to this day). Finally, a subtle fiddle part is added by Eamon McLoughlin, now of The Greencards.
Sadly, this 1999 recording captures The Damnations at their short-lived peak. As the new millennium dawned, it seemed like the band was poised to break out. They had the sirens up front, songs that ranged from hoe-down country to melodic pop to cowpunk, and were gradually building up a devoted following. Unfortunately, within a year of releasing their debut album, Half Mad Moon (linked above), their label, Sire Records, merged with London and the band got lost in the promotional shuffle. Not only that, they recorded their second album just as the Sire-London partnership ended, leaving the band with no options as they were legally bound to the label that was itself in financial and legal limbo and had no interest in promoting them. By the time they released Where It Lands, their sophomore follow-up, the band existed in name only. RIP The Damnations.
Fifty States: Nevada
Jayhawks: Nevada, California [purchase]
"Can you help me to find Nevada, California
The last thing I did
Was I tried to hold her."
I'm not sure if this is cheating because there isn't actually a Nevada, California. There IS a Nevada City, which is about 45 minutes away from Chico, where I happened to get my undergrad degree. In fact, in 1992 I was serving as music director of the Chico State campus radio station, KCSC, when The Jayhawks' Hollywood Town Hall album fell into my lap. While I was fully immersed in that golden age of college rock ... before it metastasized into grunge and alternative ... I simply couldn't deny the old-school country-rock appeal of The Jayhawks. With the high, lonesome harmonies that recalled Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers and a deceptively crunchy guitar sound akin to their labelmates, The Black Crowes, this album proved crucial for me. I didn't know it then, but it was about to launch me headlong into the alt.country scare of the mid-'90s. If country-rock holds even the slightest appeal for you, Hollywood Town Hall and 1995's Tomorrow The Green Grass are absolutely essential.
Fifty States: Maine
Doris Day: That Jane from Maine
[purchase]
No one seemed to really give a hoot last time I posted a Doris Day tune, but what the hay--I don't see anyone else piping up with a Maine song! The song comes from her 1959 film It Happened to Jane, also starring Jack Lemmon. The movie wasn't terribly successful (I also haven't seen it yet... whither Jane, TMC?), though Day had plenty to sing about later the same year when Pillow Talk came out.
I don't know. Kind of a goofy song, but in a harmless, innocent sort of way. She does have a few others that I think are fantastic, though. Probably won't be the last of Day you see around these parts...
Fifty States: New York
Billy Joel: New York State Of Mind
[purchase]
I never dreamed my birth state wouldn't be chosen by now, so I'm glad to have at it. This song is definitely an easy choice, but I won't let that stop me.
Billy Joel started playing in Long Island cover bands in 1965, he went solo in 1971. Captain Jack was his first song that caused a buzz, 1972's Piano Man was his break out number. I was a fan all the way to 52nd Street, which I feel is a much overlooked album. New Wave hit and in an attempt to jump on the bandwagon, Joel released Glass Houses - this is where I got off the boat. After that, I feel Joel focused on commercially oriented albums to make money. There's nothing wrong with getting paid, but if at an artistic cost, the music loses conviction. We'll always have his back catalog to listen to, so all is not lost.
Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood
But I'm taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line
I'm in a New York state of mind
Fifty States: Arkansas
Eggs Over Easy: Arkansas
[purchase]
Arkansas became the 25th state on June 15, 1836. Known as the Natural State, Arkansas contains over 600,000 acres of lakes and 9,700 miles of streams and rivers. This song comes from pub rock pioneer Eggs Over Easy's "lone" lost album, the feel good classic Good'N'Cheap.
Fifty States: Missouri
Low: Missouri
[purchase]
We've all been in the state of misery at one point in our lives, right?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Fifty States: West Virginia
Louis Jordan: Salt Pork, West Virginia
[purchase]
Credit goes to a friend of mine who just forwarded this song to me. What a beauty it is! This is music for sitting out on my porch on a hot Monday night in late June. I'm not really familiar with Louis Jordan's music, but his vocal delivery reminds me a little of Leadbelly. Really excellent stuff.
Fifty States: Kentucky
Elvis Presley: Kentucky Rain
[purchase]
When it comes to great songs, Kentucky is right up there with Texas and Georgia. The obvious choice is probably Blue Moon Of Kentucky by Bill Monroe, but then I listened to this tune from the King and it just hit the spot.
In conjunction with this week's theme I'm working on a massive Kentucky post over at my other blog. Watch this space for further details.
Fifty States: Georgia
Ray Charles: Georgia On My Mind [purchase]*
James Brown: Georgia On My Mind [purchase]
To echo what Darius said about "Louisiana 1927," there are times when you wanna shoot for the deep cuts and this is not one of those times. The greatest song ever written with Georgia in mind is Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia On My Mind." There's a reason why Brother Ray's version is the official state song, so for totally obvious reasons his version leads things off. However, I wanted to include another cover of the tune from a certain native Georgian. Augusta, G.A., to be precise. Of course, I'm talking about Soul Brother #1, James Brown.
Both versions are dedicated to Uga VI, the University of Georgia's legendary bulldog mascot who recently passed away due to heart failure. For those of you not SEC football fans like myself, the picture above is probably the most famous Uga-related photo. From 1996, it's actually Uga V snapping at booger-eating Auburn player, Robert Baker, after Baker had the nerve to score on Uga's beloved Bulldogs. RIP Uga. May Georgia always be on your mind.
* While "Georgia On My Mind" is on several different compilations, I'm linking to The Genius Hits The Road because its traveling motif is entirely appropriate to this week's theme. In fact, 11 different songs (!) name check states, so keep it in mind for future themes and your own blogs.
Fifty States: Rhode Island
Erin McKeown: Rhode Island Is Famous For You
[purchase]
Blossom Dearie: Rhode Island Is Famous For You
[purchase]
The basic premise of this playfully silly song, originally written for a patriotic 1948 Broadway musical review starring Carl Reiner, among others, is that while other states are famous for major industrial output, Rhode island is famous for you.
By implication, then, Rhode Island doesn't make much. But you rock, so thanks for suggesting it, folks.
There were, in fact, two different artists mentioned as sources for this one; since I had 'em, I decided to come in with both covers. Personally, I prefer post-folkie Erin McKeown's retro swingfolk to Ms. Dearie's sixties showtune singing, but only by a very slim margin.
Bonus track: Of several other much more recent songs which are actually about Rhode Island, I much prefer young Sonic Youth compatriot Jennifer O'Connor's hopeful ode to the great state as a setting for a fulfilled and partnered future. The lyrics are actually quite beautiful under all that awesome New England fuzzrock.
Jennifer O'Connor: Exeter, Rhode Island
[purchase]
Fifty States: South Carolina
Dean Martin: Just A Little Bit South Of North Carolina
[purchase]
If you go just a little bit south of North Carolina you'll find yourself in South Carolina, the state about which hepcat Dean Martin is singing here.
Fifty States: Colorado
The Flying Burrito Brothers: Colorado
[purchase]
I spent a month camping in Colorado once. It was amazing. Let me tell you something: being 24 years old, fishing for your breakfast, and playing the guitar under the stars at night is about as good as life gets. This song was written by Rick Roberts after Graham Parsons left the band. I don't really think it's a great song, but it's pretty OK. However, thinking of that month I spent in those mountains makes me sympathize with Roberts' lyric as he longs to return to the state:
Hey Colorado is it too late to change my mind?
Also, during a younger and more innocent stage of my life I loved John Denver, so I'm including him here too. I can't listen to him anymore for some reason, maybe because life is too serious now or maybe because I'm too "cool", but there's a certain wide-eyed optimism to his music that has its appeal. Say what you will about the Muppets and the glasses, but this guy loved the outdoors and he loved Colorado.
John Denver: I guess he'd rather be in Colorado
Fifty States: Utah
Harry Nilsson: The Beehive State
[purchase]
To Star Maker Machine's great shame, this blog has been running in its current format for nearly four months and there has only been one measly Harry Nilsson song. Come on Star Makers! Nine Bob Dylans? Eight Elvis Costellos? Where's the love for Harry?
In my own defense, half of my Nilsson collection is apparently blocked by iTunes mojo: I can't convert them from m4as so I can't post them. This has been heartbreaking to me since there's been at least one great choice for every theme we've had. Finally I'm able to get one in, though! And none of you thoroughbreads busted out of the fifty state gate with Utah! So there!
This fantastic song, written by Randy Newman, takes place on the floor of congress, as the congressmen from Kansas and Utah (aka the Beehive State) each plead for much-needed funds for their states--proving that in the right hands, anything can make a great pop song.
Fifty states: Maryland
Fifty States: Iowa
Greg Brown: Iowa Waltz
[purchase]
I suppose I should knock off my adopted home state of Iowa. I hated Iowa when I first moved here, but I've learned over the years that it's a wonderful place to live (except for the months of December, January, and February, which suck eggs). We have dense forest across the street from our house, we have the right sized cities, we have good people, we have universities, we have good music. If it weren't for those nasty, ugly winters when all the leaves fall off the trees, it would be everything I would want in a place to raise a family.
Greg Brown grew up a couple of hours south of my house. I'm not a farmer, and since I live in a University town I don't really know any farmers. But, I still love this line:
We take care of our own, take care of our young,
Make hay while the sun shines.
Growing our crops, singing our songs,
And planting until harvest time.
Fifty States: Illinois
[purchase]
Fifty States: Oklahoma
The Kinks: Oklahoma U.S.A.
[purchase]
One of the great lost Kinks’ songs.
All life we work, but work is a bore
If life’s for living, what’s living for?
Fifty States: Louisiana
Randy Newman: Louisiana 1927
[purchase]
Several posts this week have already talked about avoiding the obvious song, and I often agree. But not in this case. The song is just too good.
Reader submission from Darius.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Fifty States: North Dakota
Lyle Lovett: North Dakota
[purchase]
And the boys from North Dakota
They drink whisky for their fun
And the cowboys down in Texas
They polish up their guns
And they look across the border
To learn the ways of love
My father long ago decided that he would visit every state in the US before he died. But he refused to go anywhere just for the sake of going -- there had to be some reason to go.
He's covered 49 states so far.
There isn't much to North Dakota. Even Lyle Lovett only manages to brace it against Texas, really. But I love this song. I love this album. I love this singer. And I love my father.
Dad, this one's for you.
