I'm a Little Bit Country....

John Prine

John Prine

1971, Atlantic

produced by Arif Mardin

singles-

• Illegal Smile/ Quiet Man
• Spanish Pipedream/ Illegal Smile

John Prine...  I love John Prine.  Before Bob Dylan single handedly killed American Folk, John Prine was a contributor to a booming contemporary American Folk culture along with other heroes of the genre like Joan Baez, Kris Kristopherson, Paul Anka, Steve Goodman, Jerry Jeff Walker, Cat Stevens and Arlo Guthrie.  If you like the aforementioned artists, and don't know John Prine, first, shame on you, and second, you'll like this.  

This album is his first, in 1971, and is highlighted by Angel from Montgomery which would be later covered by Carly Simon, Bonnie Koloch, Bonnie Raitt, John Denver, the Dave Matthews Band, Ben Harper, Gretchen Wilson and others.

I enjoy the sound of the album, a quiet genuine storytelling sound, sometimes playful and bouncy, sometimes contemplative.  Other good songs of note are the single Illegal Smile, Donald and Lydia, and Your Flag Decal Wont get you into Heaven Anymore, which has a message that has continued to be relevant today.

Joe, Say it Ain't So

The James Gang

Yer' Album

1969, MCA

produced by Bill Szymczyk

Joe Walsh - guitar, vocals, piano

Jim Fox - drums, percussion, keyboards

Tom Kriss - bass, flute

singles-

• I Dont Have the Time/ Fred

Joe Walsh, possibly best known for his singles Life's Been Good, and Rocky Mountain Way, and his work with the Eagles, was in a band before that.  The James Gang was pretty funky, bluesy, and rock and rolly.  Yer' Album is their first, and most fun.  

Recorded in 1969, it features some of the unnecessary experimentation expected from the late '60s, such as an intro that features the band tuning up for 40 seconds, and two intermission pieces of noise and feedback.  However, the band proves it can rock out the blues and jam with the best of the iconic bands of the period and proved, much like Cream had earlier, that a three piece band can have a huge sound.

Don't judge Joe Walsh by his decision to join the Eagles, but instead buy this and other James Gang projects, and then wonder what the hell happened?  

Well... they can't all be Homeruns

Them Crooked Vultures

Them Crooked Vultures

2009, DGC

Produced by Them Crooked Vultures

Singles-

• New Fang
• Mind Eraser, No Chaser

Let me start by saying I was very excited for this album.  I love Dave Grohl, it seems everything he touches turns to gold.  Josh Homme from Mark Lanegan Band, Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age has shown he is pretty awesome in his own right, and of course, John Paul Jones is the badass bass player from Led Zeppelin.  On the surface, this appeared to be a musical orgasm just waiting to happen.  In reality, this combo proved to be a let down.

Although the album does rock out unabashed, nothing truly jumped out and grabbed me the way songs from the Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, or Led Zeppelin do.  Basically the sum doesn't match up to the greatness of the parts.  Which is too bad, because I really do want to see John Paul Jones succeed.  

I Want my Band Back!

Audioslave

Revelations. 

2006, Interscope  

Produced by Brendan O'Brien

Chris Cornell - vocals
Tom Morello - guitar
Tim Cummerford - bass
Brad Wilk - drums

Singles -

• Original Fire/ Set it off/ Gasoline
• Original Fire/ Doesnt Remind Me
• Revelations

This is the third and last offering from Audioslave, which is a pity, because it seemed to me that finally they had found their own sound.  Rage Against the Machine was a pretty tight rhythm section fronted by a rapper/singer.  When they broke up, the tight rythmn section decided they could just get another front man and continue making music.  The first two albums sounded just like you would expect, Rage Against the Machine, with a singer, instead of a unique band.  This album saw a departure from that and began to sound like a cohesive band, a single sound, not a band and singer separate and sharing a track.  I was always frustrated with Audioslave, after being such a huge Rage fan.

Ideally, Audioslave could have been what was good about Rage Against the Machine's music and sound, and what was good about Chris Cornell's range and vocal ability.  Instead, we got mediocrity from both parts of the equation.  Chris Cornell never seemed willing to play well with the politics of the other three quarters of his new project, and Tom Morello seemed like he just wanted to produce as much music as possible in as little time as possible, going for volume over quality.  There are a few tracks on here that do address current events and borderline politics, the most obvious is Wide Awake about New Orleans and the Katrina hurricane.  And there are a few tracks that sound like there was more thought and time put into the song structure.  This is the better of the three Audioslave albums.  The album is well crafted, listenable from beginning to end.

The Superest Super Group

Taveling Wilburys

Vol. One 

1988, Warner Brothers Records 

Produced by Otis and Nelson Wilbury

Nelson Wilbury - guitar, vocals

Otis Wilury - guitar, vocals

Lefty Wilbury - guitar, vocals

Charlie T Wilbury, Jr - guitar, vocals

Lucky Wilbury - guitar, vocals, harmonica

Buster Sidebury - drums

Singles-

• Handle with Care/ Margarita
• End of the Line/ Congratulations

This is quite possibly the best musical accident of all time. Starting as a project to record a B-side for a George Harrison single that was so good they just had to record an entire album. This is the way every supergroup wishes it could behave. These guys loved playing together, and egos never got in the way, which is usually how the supergroup project falls apart (see Audioslave, Velvet Revolver).

The songs are fun to listen to, you can sing to them, which is always a plus, and even though you can hear the different individuals in the group, they play well together. Dylan wrote some tracks, however, only one definitely sounds like a Dylan song. Also, this is probably the first time I, as a young kid, realized that sex was something you could sing about, and not get yelled at by your parents.  

The death of Lefty Wilbury was truly a tragedy, and even though the remaining Wilburys released another album a few years later, his contribution was sorely missed. This album was rereleased after the death of Nelson Wilbury in a box set compilation with the second album, and the band reunited to play at a show in his honor with his son Aryton Wilbury sitting in.