Johnny Cash on a Sunday

I've been anticipating the release of American VI, the new Johnny Cash cd, for a long time. These songs are part of the Rick Rubin collection, and so many of the songs on the previous cd's have been revelations. When Cash recorded these songs, some of the strength had gone from his voice, but none of the pathos, the depth of emotion. If anything, the vulnerability in his deep voice gave the songs more gravitas.

It was widely known that there were songs recorded in those sessions that had not been released. So, we all waited and wondered. What would these songs be? Rubin produced songs--promise. Songs that didn't make the first albums--peril.

It's a mixture of both. There are no great Cash originals here, like "The Man Comes Around," or "Unchained." No brilliant covers like "Hurt" or "Rusty Cage." There are reasons these songs weren't on the previous cd's. (Though he does cover one of my favorite Sheryl Crow songs, "Redemption Day").

Still, these songs move me. Many of them have gospel themes, particularly the overcoming of death. I'm not big on heaven as a source of hope. I like the more concrete images found in social/eschatological pictures of God's future. But Cash knew that the close of his life was near when he sang these songs, and they resonate. I understand the importance of these pictures better when I hear Cash sing them.

I've reflected a lot these last few weeks on how my emotional terrain is changing as I get older. Some things that used to be everything to me simply do not matter that much anymore. In many ways, I'm harder to move. But other things, little things in many ways, that would have simply poured over the smooth surfaces of a youthful life, now get snagged on the wear and tear of the years. I am surprised when I cry. And I am surprised at the things over which I cry. And I am thankful for the tears.

Top Ten CD's

So, its that time of the decade. Everyone is making their best of the decade lists--best college football team, best films, etc. And while I'm tired of it, there is something wonderfully democratic about this exercise. It is an expression of judgement. No one gets to tell me what the best music is. I can have my own top ten list. They may not be the best--they're my favorites. And it was very hard to narrow down to ten--I have a lot of great new music from this decade. And so, because I have my own blog and because I can, here are my top cd's of the decade.

10. Elivs Costello--North. A criteria for this list is wanting to listen to the whole cd all the way through. And this one fits that bill. These are torch songs. Think Sinatra, not the Attractions. Elvis whispers sweet nothing in our ear in smooth arrangements, his voice just misshapen enough to give them some character. "Still" is one of my all-time favorite songs.

9. Bruce Springsteen--The Rising. A time like the aftermath of 9/11 is the perfect setting for someone like Springsteen. The cd has a weight to it, a consistency, born of the subject matter. Bruce's ties to both the rock and folk traditions provides the perfect sensibility here. Just enough anger and grief and introspection here without any Toby Keith idiocy. I like every song on this cd.

8. Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation--Mighty Rearranger. Again, I listen to this one straight through every time. Great music often combines genres in new ways. Here we have Delta Blues and middle eastern music brought together in a very satisfying way, and sung by one of the best rock vocalists ever. "Shine it All Around," "Dancing in Heaven," "Mighty Rearranger" all great songs.

7. Spoon--Gimme Fiction. Spoon is one of the real finds for me recently. I feel cooler than I should listening to Spoon. And its hard for me to pick between Ga ga ga ga ga, or Gimme Fiction. Gimme Fiction gets the nod for one of my favorite songs, "The Delicate Place." Everyday should have a little Spoon.

6. Ben Harper--Both Sides of the Gun. I saw Harper perform "Better Way" on Letterman and knew I had to have this cd. Harper has great range, and its all on display here. You've got protest music like "Better Way," and beautiful love songs like "Happy Everafter in Your Eyes." All of it makes you want to dance (if a person were inclined that way), and most of it makes you chuckle a little.

5. Wilco-Sky, Blue Sky. Don't skip any songs on this cd. Jeff Tweedy is genius. I'm never embarrassed by a Tweedy lyric, and the "middle eight" in a Wilco song is nearly always a revelation--not the way you expected the song to go, e.g. "Hate it Here." Lyrics, vocals, guitars. Great.

4. Johnny Cash--American IV. What an amazing, amazing thing the American series is. Rick Rubin, who produced these Cash sessions, provided the perfect setting for Cash's wise and weary voice. You don't want to hear Cash sing everything he does on these albums (Bridge Over Troubled Water), but there are classics here, especially among the covers. American IV features the original, "The Man Comes Around," and the great cover "Hurt."

3. Bob Dylan--Modern Times. I hear all of Dylan through Time Out of Mind, Modern Times,and Love and Theft. TOoM came out in the 90's so is eliminated that way. Modern Times gets the nod because its a little darker, the songs featuring Dylan's "fearsome wheeze" a little better. "Spirit on the Water," "When the Deal Goes Down," "Workingman's Blues #2," "The Levee's Gonna Break." Great songs. Plus, Time Out of Mind came with four videos, "Things Have Changed" being my favorite.

2. Brandi Carlile--The Story. I was listening to Brandi the other day and my son asked, "who is this? She's good." Another find of the decade. Great, great voice, and great songs. It's tough to choose between her last two albums (Give Up the Ghost came out a few months ago), but The Story gets the nod because of when it came along in my life. I found the chords to Turpentine the other night and like many Brandi songs, simple structure, easy to play, beautiful melody.

1. U2--All That You Can't Leave Behind. The first cd I bought this decade was my favorite. I knew with the first listen that this was a great cd (it usually takes me a few times through). I still listen all the way through. It holds up great and my favorite song changes from time to time. At first it was "Stuck in a Moment," then "Kite," then "Beautiful Day," then "In a Little While." I had fallen away from listening to music for awhile. This cd brought me back. Seeing them a few months ago in Chicago kind of frames the decade in music perfectly.

There are a lot of honorable mentions: The Raconteurs, Tom Petty, Black Rebel Motorcyle Club, My Morning Jacket, Lucinda Williams, Tyrone Wells, Pearl Jam, The Black Keys, Radiohead, Jet, Green Day, Kings of Leon. And ten years from now, I might still be listening to these and have let some of the above drift down a notch or two. But I like this list a lot. I hope the new decade brings as interesting a mix as this.

Five Albums on a Sunday

So, there are moments and people and events that mark turning points in your life, where things just change. And there are moments like that in everyone's musical autobiography. So, here are five albums that changed things for me early in my music listening life. They are not my favorite albums, necessarily. But when they came along, my life was pushed in a new direction, at least musically speaking.

1. Ring of Fire--Johnny Cash. In 1970, my family bought a small little record player, a box with a speaker in the front. And with it we had three records. Gentleman Jim Reeves (Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone...), and Ed Ames (Mingo on the Daniel Boone show starring Fes Parker). But the record that captured me was Johnny Cash, and the song was Ring of Fire. I could see him falling into a ring of fire. The trumpets. Cash's manly man voice. Unforgettable.

2. Suzie Q--Creedance Clearwater Revival. This is the first album I ever bought. I bought it from my mom's cousin, Lydia, after listening to it at her house after church on a Sunday night. I was launched on a life long odyssey. For those who haven't listened to the album, Suzie Q is one side of the album. They don't record songs like that anymore. There's like a three minute drum solo in the middle. Seriously. I now knew the kind of music I liked.

3. Yellow Brick Road--Elton John. This was such a fabulous album for an eighth grader. The cover. The songs. The whole image of Elton John. And like so many artists, the early Elton was the best. Bennie and the Jets, Your Song, Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting, Yellow Brick Road. I can't listen to Elton John now. Candle in the Wind. Barf. And I probably wouldn't think of this album the same way I did then, but it was a huge album for me. It was a dark time, and this album was a whimsical escape.

4. Led Zeppelin IV--I know, how do you go from Elton John to Led Zeppelin. Stairway to Heaven is how. I'll never forget the first time I heard Stairway at a dance. I bought the album shortly after and Stairway quickly became my least favorite song on the album. Black Dog, Rock and Roll, Misty Mountain Hop. It was a revelation. It was beyond the edge of my previously known world. The drums. The guitars. The vocals. It was the first time I experienced limit expression through music, where I was pushed and I loved it. How these four people found each other is a mystery. How do these kinds of things happen, the right people finding each other and something brand new emerging?

5. Boston--Boston. I had never heard anything like this album. It was this wall of sound. Great guitars, keyboards, vocals. I wore that thing out. And my dad had bought this killer stereo system, so it rattled the house. It was rock, but all of it was lyrical. Everything sang a melody.

There are several others during this time that are worth honorable mention: Chicago VI, Doobie Brothers (Tolouse Street), Pink Floyd (Wish You Were Here), James Taylor (JT). What a great time for music. Five more next week.

Johnny Cash on a Sunday

I'm veering away from Dylan today to grab a Johnny Cash tune. I have endured 24 hours of frustrated holiday travel and won't reach my destination for another two days. There's nothing like an airport full of frustrated holiday travelers that says merry xmas in quite the same way. And to boot, I returned to my apt in sub zero weather to find my electricity out. On the positive side, I've hung meat in the living room and am making a little extra $$ as a butcher.

But when you can't cry anymore, all you can do is laugh, right? So, here's a Johnny Cash song about misfortune that always makes me laugh. Nobody.

When life seems full
Of clouds and rain
And I'm full
Of nothin' but pain
Who soothes my thumpin', bumpin' brain?
Nobody

When Wintertime comes
With its snow and sleet
And me with hunger
And cold feet
Who says "Here's two bits, go and eat"?
Nobody

Well, I ain't never done nothin' to nobody
I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time
And until I get something from somebody, sometime
I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time

When Summertime comes
All warm and clear
And my friends see me
Drawin' near
Who says "come on in and have a beer"?
Nobody

Well one time when things was
Lookin' bright
I started to whittlin' on a stick one night
Who said "Hey! That's dynamite!"?
Nobody

Mmmm, I ain't never done nothin' to nobody
I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time
And until I get something from somebody, sometime
I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time

I ain't never done nothin' to nobody
I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time
And until I get something from somebody, sometime
I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time