1990s – Page 3 – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Angels – Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again

Many of you who have read this blog for a while know I have a soft spot for bands that never got their full due, especially the ones who could torch a stage and turn a riff into a mountain. Australia’s The Angels (or Angel City, depending on which record bin you’re digging through) are exactly that kind of band.

If you were hanging around an Aussie pub in the late ’70s, there’s a good chance you heard a blistering set from The Angels. Imagine a little the of Bon Scott-era AC/DC, the attitude of punk, and the tension of a film noir, and now picture that exploding from the back of a sweaty pub in Adelaide. That’s The Angels. As the old saying goes, they took no prisoners.

The Angels began as the Moonshine Jug and String Band in 1970, a folk/jug band formed by brothers Rick and John Brewster. But by 1974, they swapped their washboards for electric guitars and rebranded as The Keystone Angels. The real turning point came when they were spotted by AC/DC’s Angus Young and Bon Scott, who were impressed enough to recommend them to their label, Albert Productions.

Like many Australian acts, The Angels took a swing at the U.S. market, but there was already a band called Angel over here, all makeup and white spandex. So, The Angels became Angel City in the US and released several albums under that name, including Dark Room (1980) and Night Attack (1981).

They had the songs. They had the live chops. But they never quite cracked America the way INXS, AC/DC, or Men at Work would. This was their first single back in 1976, and it peaked at #58 in Australia. It was on their debut self-titled album. Band members John Brewster, Rick Brewster, and Doc Neeson wrote this song.

They did have one song that peaked at #35 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts called Underground. Underground was released in 1985. They also covered The Animals We’ve Gotta Get Outta This Place in 1986, which peaked at #7 in Australia and #13 in New Zealand.

When the band plays it live, fans start to answer the chorus with an expletive-laced chant, and it became part of the show. “No way get f*****, f*** off.” It’s become, unofficial part of the song. They are still together, releasing albums.

Here is another song by the Angels…Take A Long Ride

Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again

You may recognise yourselves here

Went down to Santa Fe, where Renoir paints the wallsDescribed you clearly, but the sky began to fall

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?

Tram cars and taxis, like a waxworks on the moveCarry young girls past me, but none of them are you

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?

Without you near me, I’ve got no place to goWait at the bar, maybe you might show

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?

I’ve got to stop these tears, that’s falling from my eyeGo walk out in the rain, so no one sees me cry

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again? Yeah

Can’t stop the memory that goes climbing through my brainI get no answer, so the question still remains

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?

Am I ever gonna see your face again? (No way, get fucked, fuck off)Am I ever gonna see your face again? (No way, get fucked, fuck off)Am I ever gonna see your face again? (No way, get fucked, fuck off)Am I ever gonna see your face again?

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?

Hey, I wanna see your face, your sweet smiling faceI wanna see your face, see your face again ‘n’ again ‘n’ again, again, oh

…

Cry Of Love – Peace Pipe

When CB sent me a link to this band, the first name that popped into my pointy head was Steve Marriott, who I think was the best vocalist of his generation. In the middle of grunge, this band came out of nowhere and sounded like a reimagined Humble Pie or Free. The singer Kelly Holland has been compared to various singers such as Steve Marriott, Paul Rodgers, and Chris Cornell…so I wasn’t far off.

In the nineties, Grunge music was king and hard rock was being heard by The Black Crowes and Guns N’ Roses, but there wasn’t a bunch of mainstream success from many others. This band had bad timing written all over them. It’s a shame because they were a very talented rock band. I talked to Deke about them, and he bought some of their CDs at the time, but they were gone before they really got started. They seemed set up to do a lot of damage and have huge success.

They burned bright in the early 1990s. They were known for their soulful, blues hard rock sound that stood apart from the grunge. They were formed in 1991 in Raleigh, North Carolina. They released two albums in total: Brother in 1993 and Diamonds and Debris in 1997.

Peace Pipe peaked at #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1993. They had another song called Bad Thing peaked at #2 on the same chart in 1994.

Lead singer Kelly Holland quit the band after their first big tour because he didn’t like life on the road. He was replaced by Robert Mason (Warrant’s lead singer), and they made the album Diamonds and Debris, which spawned a hit single Sugarcane, that peaked at #22 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1997. It’s a great song! They broke up soon after.

The band took their name from Jimi Hendrix’s 1971 posthumous album, The Cry of Love. That album was compiled by engineer Eddie Kramer and drummer Mitch Mitchell and featured some of the final studio recordings Hendrix was working on before his death. That was only the beginning of Jimi Hendrix’s posthumous albums.

This band had a lot of talented musicians. The bass player Robert Kearns later played with Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Audley Freed played guitar with The Black Crowes, and now Kearns and Freed play with Cheryl Crow.

The band had hits and were set up to do big things, but when Holland quit that pretty much sealed it for them. Unfortunately, Kelly Holland passed away in 2014 from an abdominal infection.

Peace Pipe

In the heat of the morningIn the eye of the sunHear the wind start blowingSee the horse and the gunNow the peace pipe, it ain’t smokin’All the promises are brokenIn the heat of the morningSee the horse and the gunAll in the name of God somehowOh-oh-oo-whoa!Tearing the temple downBurn down the sacred ground!Tear the temple down!In the name of God somehow…Burn down the sacred ground!

In the dead of the evening,When the spears come down,Say a prayer for the plowboyOn the killing ground.Now the peace pipe, it is broken,All the shaman’s gone unspoken.In the dead of the eveningWhen the tears come down, yeah!All in the name of God somehow…Oh-oh-oo-whoa!Tearing the temple downBurn down the sacred ground!Tear the temple down!In the name of God somehowBurn down the sacred ground!

All in the nameAll in the name

All in the name of God somehowHey, hey! Oh-oh, yeah, yeah! Oh-oh-oo-whoa!Burn down the sacred ground!Tear the temple down!In the name of God somehowBurn down the sacred ground!Hey, hey! Yeah, yeah! Oh-oh-oo-whoa!Burn down the sacred ground!Burn down the sacred ground!Burn down the sacred ground!Burn down the sacred ground!

…

Big Sugar – Diggin a Hole

I was looking for a band to cover, and CB sent me a link to this terrific Canadian band. I liked the music right away. The first thing I noticed was the great musicianship on the songs. They are the real deal musically, and the guitarist Geordie Johnson is top shelf, and so is the bass player Garry Lowe.

They were formed in Toronto in the late 1980s, initially as a blues trio built around the guitar work of frontman Gordie Johnson. Before Big Sugar became popular, Johnson started out backing legends like the Muddy Waters alumni and Mavis Staples.

Another member who made them sound distinctive was bass player Garry Lowe. Lowe joined Big Sugar in 1994 and played on eight of their albums. He bridged the reggae and Rastafarian culture of his native Jamaica with a rock audience. Lowe was sometimes criticized for working in Big Sugar by Rastas and Jamaican music followers who wanted him to keep reggae pure, but he continued to play and blend his style into others.

They have released 11 studio albums since 1991 and 2 live albums. Their last studio album was released in 2020 and is called Eternity Now. Their success has been mostly in Canada, with one song getting some US airplay with You Better Get Used To It.

I’ve been listening to different cuts, and they cover a lot of ground. They have some heavy blues riffs, some reggae rhythms, roots music, with a pinch of psychedelia here and there. Their breakthrough album was Five Hundred Pounds, which hit big on Canadian college radio at the time.

This song was on the 1996 album Hemi-Vision. It was their biggest hit in Canada, peaking at #9 in the Canadian Charts. I asked my friend Deke if he had heard of them, and he has seen them live a few times. He also sent me this video of Jack White (who is a fan) who is releasing their album Five Hundred Pounds again on vinyl.

Diggin A Hole

Got my head in a haze
Feel like a cat in a cage
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Digging a hole in my heart
Give me the lies on page
I’m feelin’ twice my age
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Digging a hole in my heart

Digging a hole is that the way you treat me
Digging a hole just tie me up and beat me

Got my head in a haze
Feel like a cat in a cage
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Give me the lies on page
I’m feelin’ twice my age
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Digging a hole in my heart

Digging a hole is that the way you treat me
Digging a hole just tie me up and beat me

Got my head in a haze
Feel like a cat in a cage
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Give me the lies on page
I’m feelin twice my age
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Digging a hole in my heart
Digging a hole is that the way you treat me
Digging a hole just tie me up and beat me

Greg Brown – Laughing River

CB featured a video of Greg Brown live with guitar player Bo Ramsey. The venue looked like a small club, and with just those two, the sound was huge. I started to listen to Brown’s catalog around two weeks ago. His songs are a lot to take in lyrically, which immediately hooked me. As with several artists lately, picking one song is hard. If you like storytelling, then Greg Brown is your guy.

This song makes me feel good. I love the baseball metaphors and imagery that he uses and the total mood of the song. This song was covered back in 2022 by Seth Avett. Seth made an album called Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown…an album with all of Brown’s songs. A truly beautiful song.

He got the inspiration for the song during a road trip through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. He saw a sign for Laughing River that was likely referring to the Laughing Whitefish River near Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park, and composed the song on the hood of his car. It was originally released in 1992 on his Dream Café album.

Brown is from Iowa, and he grew up in a musical household. His father was a preacher, and his mother sang and played guitar. He was influenced by country, gospel, and blues and locked into the folk music scene of the 1960s. He worked with Eric Andersen and Odetta, and even had a stint as the musical director for the Public Radio International show A Prairie Home Companion.

One artist Brown influenced was Iris DeMent, whom Brown later married. He has been compared to Leonard Cohen, John Prine, and Bob Dylan, but his voice sets him apart. Brown has released over 30 studio and live albums combined.

Laughing River

I’m goin away,
’cause I gotta busted heart.
I’m leavin’ today,
if my Travel All will start.
And I reckon where I’m headed,
I might need me different clothes–
way up in Michigan,
where the Laughing River flows.

Twenty years in the minor leagues–
ain’t no place I didn’t go.
Well I gotta few hits,
but I never made the show.
And I could hang on for a few years,
doin what I’ve done before.
I wanna hear the Laughing River,
flowin’ right outside my door.

My cousin Ray,
said he’s got a job for me.
Where the houses are cheap,
and he knows this nice lady.
He said she even saw me play once,
said she smiled at my name.
Well upon the Laughing River,
could be a whole new game.

So goodbye to the bus.
Good bye to payin’ dues.
Goodbye to the cheers,
and goodbye to the booze.
well I’m trading in this old bat,
for a fishing pole.
I’m gonna let the Laughing River,
flow right into my soul.

…

Radney Foster – Just Call Me Lonesome

I was talking to my friend Ron, and he mentioned a country duo in the 80s called Foster and Lloyd. This aligns with Dwight Yoakam and the new sound that was coming at the time. The Nashville establishment didn’t like this because it wasn’t pop with a country accent…it had its roots in older country music. Nashville loves to eat its own at times, but that has changed some through the years.

Radney is from Del Rio, Texas, and started to play guitar and write songs at 12. Later on, he moved to Nashville to start a career in music after college. He became the staff songwriter at MTM Publishing Company in 1985, where he met Bill Lloyd.

The duo formed Foster & Lloyd and signed with RCA Records Nashville in 1986. They had 4 top ten hits on the Billboard Country Charts and were also successful on the Canadian Country Charts. Their first song Crazy Over You peaked at #4, and their second single, Sure Thing, peaked at #8 on the Billboard Country Charts and Canadian Country Charts in 1987.

This song was after they broke up, and Radney released it in 1992, and it was very successful. It peaked at #10 on the Billboard Country Charts in 1992 and also at #54 on the Canadian Country Charts. It was on his album Del Rio, TX 1959.

Foster & Lloyd did reunite in 2011 and released an album called It’s Already Tomorrow.

Just Call Me Lonesome

Just call me lonesomeHeartbroke and then some‘Cause I ain’t got no oneSince you’ve been goneYou called me babyNow I’ve got a new nameDon’t need my old oneCall me lonesome from now on

You used to call me, your one and onlyBut now you only call me someone you once knewYou were my angel, before some strangerStole your heart and stole my world when he stole you

Just call me lonesomeHeartbroke and then some‘Cause I ain’t got no oneSince you’ve been goneYou called me babyNow I’ve got a new nameDon’t need my old oneCall me lonesome from now on

I see you with him, and fall apart againRemembering when I was the only man you neededWe said forever, We’d be togetherHe came between us and now forever lies in pieces

Don’t need my old oneCall me lonesome from now on

Bo Ramsey – Forget You

The other day CB and I were talking about music, and he sent me some links to this guy. I’ve listened to him this week and the first thing I noticed was that great guitar tone. I’ve listened to many parts of his career and the guy is a master of guitar tone. A great guitar sound attracts me to songs sometimes more than the singing and lyrics. Once I hear a good opening riff, it usually hooks me. He has a mixture of blues, folk, rock, and Americana. I also enjoyed his songwriting and vocals, as he doesn’t stick in one place.

He was born and raised in Iowa and started his music career around 1973. He originally fronted The Mother Blues Band in Iowa. His inspirations were Sun Records’ rockabilly and Chess Records’ blues artists of the 1950s. It’s hard to beat those two influences.

During the 1970s and 1980s, he played with various bands and developed his sound. He took a break from music during the 1980s but came back strong. A turning point was when he heard a song by fellow Iowan Greg Brown on the radio. He recognized a kindred spirit, so he reached out to Brown, starting a collaboration that continues to this day

In 1994, he got his first big break by opening shows for Lucinda Williams. He worked with her producing and adding guitar to her albums, and also played in her band. He has played guitar with various artists. His production and guitar work extend to notable musicians like Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, Iris DeMent, and Elvis Costello.

This song was on his album In The Weeds released in 1997.

…

Golden Smog – Glad and Sorry

If you take acoustic country and mix it with Big Star, you get bands like Wilco and this band Golden Smog. You literally get Big Star, Wilco, Uncle Tupelo (who I spelled wrong in the past), and The Jayhawks; the explanation is at the bottom. I’m glad that CB mentioned this band because they are exactly what I’m into right now.

They started as a loose collaboration of Minneapolis-based musicians who got together to play cover songs under pseudonyms. The name Golden Smog comes from a character in a Flintstones episode. The band initially played country and rock covers, but it evolved into a serious musical project over time.

Membership in this band has been fluid. They have had Chris Mars (Replacements drummer), Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Louris and Perlman of The Jayhawks, Dave Primer from Soul Asylum, and more. Also in 1997, Jody Stephens became their drummer. He was an original member of Big Star.

All in all, they have released 4 albums starting in 1995 with Down by the Old Mainstream. This is the album that this song was on. It was a cover of a Faces song written by Ronnie Lane, and they did a super job on it. I love both versions, and I’m not easy on cover versions, but this hits the mark.

I will be going over all of their albums in the future. I’ve liked everything I’ve heard by them so far. Here is a list of their members…present and past.

Kraig Johnson (Kraig Jarret Johnson and the Program)
Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum)
Gary Louris (Jayhawks)
Marc Perlman (Jayhawks)
Steve Gorman (Black Crowes)

and their past members

Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum)
Chris Mars (Replacements)
Noah Levy (Brian Setzer and Soul Asylum)
Jeff Tweedy (Uncle Tupelo and Wilco)
Jody Stephens (Big Star)

Glad and Sorry

Thank you kindlyFor thinking of meIf I’m not smilingI’m just thinkingGlad and sorryHappy or sadAll is done and spokenYou’re up or I’m downCan you show me a dream?Can you show me one that’s better than life?Can you stand it in the cold light of day?Well, neither can ICan you show me a dream?Can you show me one that’s better than life?Can you stand it in the cold light of day?Well, neither can I

…

Steve Earle – Feel Alright

Every so often, I always go back to Steve Earle. When he first came out, rock and country stations would play him. I was way more of a rock fan than a modern country fan, but artists like Earle and Dwight Yoakum changed that for me. They brought in the Merle Haggard and Buck Owens Bakersfield sound, which I liked. Earle also brought in a Townes Van Zant and Texas songwriting approach. I saw many of my musician friends who were songwriters starting to pick up this approach, which was great to see.

This came off of his 1996 album I Feel Alright. It was his 6th album, and he had signed to Warner Brothers. I heard of him in the late eighties with a song called I Ain’t Ever Satisfied. I first saw him in 1989, opening up for Bob Dylan at the now-demolished Starwood Ampitheater in Nashville. He was one of the best opening acts I’ve ever seen, to that point. That night, Bob was sick (we found out later), and he only played for 45 minutes, but Steve Earle made the show worth it. I do remember someone yelling as Bob was leaving the stage, “I know you are an old son of a bitch but 45 minutes?” Bob was 48 at the time!

The album was released after Earle had successfully overcome heroin addiction and incarceration, and the lyrics matched that: Yeah, but be careful what you wish for friend ‘Cause I’ve been to hell and now I’m back again. One critic said at the time that this album was Earle telling people in the 90s: Don’t feel bad about feeling good. The album was critically acclaimed.

The album charted at #38 in Canada, #106 on the Billboard 100, #29 in New Zealand, and #44 in the UK in 1996. This song was released as a single but didn’t chart.

Steve Earle: I’m a folkie. I come from coffee houses just like Gram (Parsons), Townes (Van Zandt), Guy (Clark), and Chris (Hillman). We’re all post-Bob Dylan coffee house bred songwriters. South Texas was a great place to grow up musically, but then things really busted open when I moved to Nashville. I was still only 19 and got to see bluegrass music up close for the first time – and old-time music, music that was more from the Appalachian Mountains versus western swing – one of the main components of rock and roll in the first place.

Feel Alright

I was born my papa’s sonA wanderin’ eye and a smokin’ gunNow some of you would live through meThen lock me up and throw away the keyOr just find a place to hide awayHope that I’ll just go away, hah

Well, I feel alrightI feel alright tonightI feel alrightI feel alright tonight

And I’ll bring you precious contrabandAnd ancient tales from distant landsOf conquerors and concubinesAnd conjurers from darker timesBetrayal and conspiracy, sacrilege and heresy

And I feel alrightI feel alright tonightI feel alrightI feel alright tonight

I got everything you won’t needYour darkest fear, your fondest dreamI ask you questions, tell you liesCriticize and sympathizeYeah, but be careful what you wish for friend‘Cause I’ve been to hell and now I’m back again

I feel alrightYeah, I feel alright tonightYeah, I feel alrightI feel alright tonight

Ywah, I feel alrightFeel alright

Wilco – I Must Be High

I really like this band and many of the bands during this period. Good music and good lyrics…they have it all. This one album is quite different than their later albums. It sounded like a continuation of Tweedy’s former band Uncle Tupelo.

This song was the opening song on their A.M. album released in 1995. Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar had creative differences with Uncle Tupelo so they split…Tweedy with Wilco and Farrar with Sun Volt. They both released an album within 5 months of each other.

Wilco was formed in 1994 in Chicago, Illinois, following the breakup of Uncle Tupelo. The band was founded by Jeff Tweedy, along with former Uncle Toledo members John Stirratt, Ken Coomer, and Max Johnston. Over the years, Wilco evolved from an alternative country sound into a more experimental and genre-blending style. After this album, their sound changed from the alt-country sound they had with Uncle Tupelo.

The album wasn’t a commercial success but it would pick up fans through the years. I’ve also added Casino Queen to this post. The two were the first two the band ever recorded as Wilco. All songs on the album were written by Jeff Tweedy. The album peaked at #27 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart.

Jeff Tweedy: We recorded “A.M.” with Brian Paulson at Easley Studios in Memphis. “I Must Be High” is the first take of the first performance that we ever did as Wilco. Maybe that’s noteworthy. We had all been in a band together as Uncle Tupelo, and we played together a little bit just sitting around with acoustic guitars to learn the songs and everything, but the very first tape that we ever rolled as Wilco recording is basically what you hear on that first song on the record. “Casino Queen” on that record would be the other one I’d talk about. My dad asked me to write a song about it—it’s a real riverboat casino. I took my dad to go to the casino one time, and he said, “This could be something you could write a song about.” He basically forced me to do it

Jeff Tweedy: “We had all been in a band together as Uncle Tupelo, and we played together a little bit just sitting around with acoustic guitars to learn the songs and everything, but the very first tape that we ever rolled as Wilco recording is basically what you hear on that first song on the record.”

I Must Be High

You always wanted more time
To do what you
Always wanted to do
Now you got it
And I, I must be high
To say goodbye
Bye bye bye

You never said you needed this
You’re pissed that you missed
The very last kiss
From my lips
And I, I must be high
To say goodbye
Bye bye bye

And you never looked in my eyes
Long enough to find
Any peace of mind
But now you got it, and I
I must be high
To let you say goodbye
I must be high

Bye bye bye
Bye bye bye

…

Son Volt – Drown

I’ve been staying on this Americana kick with some new bands to me….or alt-country…whichever label you wanna use. So many of these great bands started or really hit their stride in the 1990s. The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown, The Blue Shadows, Wilco, The Old 97s, and many more. Bands to listen to…to forget your problems. No, you will not see a ton of hits with these bands and that is ok with me because they sound so damn good.

When Uncle Tupelo dissolved in 1994, singer Jay Farrar set out to create a new band that would continue blending rock with country influences. This led to the formation of Son Volt, a band that would quickly become a major force in the alt-country movement.

This song was released as a single on their debut album, Trace, in 1995. It peaked at #15 on the Billboard Alternative Chart and #10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts. The album received critical praise for its songs, authenticity, and raw sound. It peaked at #166 on the Billboard Album Charts and #7 on the Billboard Heatseekers Charts.

Son Volt has continued to perform and record. They have released 11 albums, and their last one was in 2023, named Day of the Doug. Another thing I like about these albums is that they are organic sounding with no big production or tricks.

Drown

Sky cracks open, walls falling to the floorJust as well to keep it, a guessing game in storeYou’re with me now, will be againAll other points in between

And the cruel, cruel morningsHave turned to days of swim or sinkIf living right is easy, what goes wrongYou’re causing it to drown

Didn’t want to turn that wayYou’re causing it to drownDoesn’t make a difference nowYou’re causing it to drown

Silence knows, can’t drown a heartHappenstance is falling through the cracks each dayToo close now to change itFool’s gold is lighter anyway

When in doubt, move on, no need to sort it outYou’re with me now, will be againAll other points in betweenAnd I want to find the right side of you

If living right is easy, what goes wrongYou’re causing it to drownDidn’t want to turn that wayYou’re causing it to drown

Doesn’t make a difference nowYou’re causing it to drownSilence knows, can’t drown a heartWhen in doubt, move on, no need to sort it out

You’re with me now, will be againAll other points in betweenAnd I want to find the right side of youIf living right is easy, what goes wrong

You’re causing it to drownDidn’t want to turn that wayYou’re causing it to drownDoesn’t make a difference now

You’re causing it to drownSilence knows, can’t drown a heart

…

Lucinda Williams – Can’t Let Go

He won’t take me back when I come around
Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

I was an instant fan when I heard this song. I spent some time figuring out who the hell this lady was. Her vocals and the song really impressed me. The track is so down to earth and real, with the music being as tight as you can get. It came off her breakthrough album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Steve Earle played guitar on the album and helped produce it. I thought this song was a big hit because it was played a lot in Nashville when it was released. When she goes into the lyrics at the top, He won’t take me back when I come around, her voice really kicks in.

The album was produced by Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy. Williams wrote every song on the album except this one. Randy Weeks wrote Can’t Let Go and first recorded it with his band, The Lonesome Strangers, in the late 1980s. The song had a bluesy, rootsy feel but didn’t gain much recognition then. Williams first heard the song performed by Randy Weeks at the Palomino Club in Los Angeles and asked him if she could work it into her own style.

Can’t Let Go won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. I never really liked awards for things like this…but she deserved this one. The song didn’t chart (Life is not fair), but the album peaked at #65 in the Billboard 200 and #14 in Canadian RPM Country Albums.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss covered the song on their album Raise the Roof, and their version also received praise. Personally, I like the Williams version the best. It’s hard to beat her vocals. I tried to find a live version, but none of them has the intensity of the studio track, which is odd.

Lucinda Williams: “I was playing Steve Earle’s dobro, which had a really wide neck, and my fingers kinda slipped on it. But the track was so brilliant that everyone went, No, no, it’s great! I agonized over it for weeks and weeks, and they all kept saying, It’s great. But see, there’ve been other things where I’ve gone in and said, ‘I think we should redo this track because it’s not in the pocket or it’s too fast

Can’t Let Go

Told my baby one more time
Don’t make me sit all alone and cry
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
I’m like a fish out of water
A cat in a tree

You don’t even want to talk to me
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

See I got a candle and it burns so bright

In my window every night
Well it’s over I know but I can’t let go
You don’t like to see me standing around

Feel like I been shot and didn’t fall down
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

Turn off trouble like you turn off a light

Went off and left me it just ain’t right
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
Round every corner something I see

Bring me right back how it used to be
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

It’s over I know it but I can’t let go
It’s over I know it but I can’t let go
It’s over I know it but I can’t let go

Tragically Hip – Little Bones

My Canadian friends Deke, Dave, CB, and Randy got me into this band and Deke (check his YouTube channel out) mentioned how he really liked this 1991 album Road Apples. Before I started blogging I only knew The Band, Guess Who, Neil Young, and Rush were from Canada but these guys have filled me in.

I’ve posted a few of their songs but nothing off this album. After listening to them this past year…I don’t understand and wonder why they didn’t explode over here.

The two songs I’ve posted are great. New Orleans Is Sinking (great classic rock sound) and Ahead By A Century. The Tragically Hip is an institution in Canada, and still something of a cult band everywhere else… I love cult bands such as Big Star and The Replacements so that is fine with me but it’s not fair.

This song was inspired by a conversation lead singer Gord Downie had with a cab driver in New Orleans. The driver explained the basics of life and survival, saying something like “you gotta eat—it’s just little bones”, which stuck with Downie. This was their second album and it did great. It peaked at #1 in Canada but failed to chart on the Billboard album chart. The song peaked at #11 in Canada in 1991.

They got their name from Elephant Parts. That was a video by Michael Nesmith (Monkee guitarist) and they heard it in an Elvis Costello song (Town Cryer) also. Gordon Downie said: “There’s one skit in there that is sort [of] like a TV plea: ‘Send some money to the Foundation for the Tragically Hip.’ And that phrase has also appeared in an Elvis Costello song. It crops up every now and again, and it’s just a name that we like.”

They formed in 1984 in Kingston, Ontario. They were together until 2017. They have released 13 studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, two video albums, two extended plays, and a boxed set. In 2017, lead singer Gord Downie passed away.

Little Bones

It gets so sticky down hereBetter butter your cue finger upIt’s the start of another new yearBetter call the newspaper up

Two-fifty for a highballAnd a buck and a half for a beerHappy hour, happy hourHappy hour is here

The long days of Shockley are goneSo is football Kennedy-styleFamous last words taken all wrongWind up on the very same pile

Two-fifty for a decadeAnd a buck and a half for a yearHappy hour, happy hourHappy hour is here

I can cry, beg and whineTo every rebel I findJust to give me a lineI could use to describe

They’d say, “Baby, eat this chicken slowIt’s full of all them little bonesBaby, eat this chicken slowIt’s full of all them little bones”

So regal and decadent hereCoffin-cheaters dance on their gravesMusic all it’s delicate fearIs the only thing that don’t change

Two-fifty for an eyeballAnd a buck and a half for an earHappy hour, happy hourHappy hour is here

Well, nothing’s dead down here, it’s just a little tiredNothing is dead down here, it’s just a little tiredWell, nothing’s dead down here, it’s just a little tiredNothing is dead down here, it’s just a little tired

Oh baby, eat this chicken slowIt’s full of all them little bonesBaby, eat this chicken slowIt’s full of all them little bonesLittle bonesFull of all them little bonesAah, little bones

Whiskeytown – 16 Days

I got sixteen days / One for every time I’ve gone away
One for every time I should have stayed

I was playing with a drummer in the late 90s, and he asked me if I had ever heard of Whiskeytown. I hadn’t and never really looked for them because it was the 90s and not as easy as it is now. I started to listen to them recently, and I can see why he was a fan. It’s great alt-country/Americana, which fits me fine.

Whiskeytown had one member that you might know. They were an alternative country band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They were active from 1994 to 2000. The band was led by Ryan Adams who played a role in popularizing the alt-country genre in the 1990s. He blended traditional country with rock and indie influences. They fit in well with The Jayhawks and Wilco in that era.

This song is one of their best-known songs. It was from the album Strangers Almanac, released in 1997. Ryan Adams wrote this song and gave a very good vocal performance as well. During this period, the band was plagued by conflicts and multiple lineup changes. Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary remained the only consistent members.

Adams has also produced albums for Willie Nelson and collaborated with the Counting Crows, Weezer, Norah Jones, America, Minnie Driver, Cowboy Junkies, and Toots & the Maytals. He has written a book of poems, Infinity Blues, and Hello Sunshine, a collection of poems and short stories.

16 Days

I got sixteen daysOne for every time I’ve gone awayOne for every time I should have stayedYou should have worn my wedding ringI got sixteen daysFifteen of those are nightsCan’t sleep when the bed sheet fightsIts way back to your side

The ghost has got me runningThe ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away from you.

I got sixteen daysGot a bible and a rosaryGod, I wish that you were close to meGuess I owe you an apology

I got sixteen daysFifteen of those are nightsCan’t sleep when the bed sheet fightsIts way back to your side

The ghost has got me runningYeah, the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away from you.

The ghost has got me runningYeah, the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away

Old tin cups, little paper dollsAll wrapped up, in ribbons, bowed with heartsOld tin cups, and little paper dollsAll wrapped up, in the ribbons of your heart

The ghost has got me runningYeah, the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away from you.

Sixteen daysI got sixteen daysIt’s like before I hang

…

Blue Shadows – Deliver Me

I love finding new/old music and this band I like a lot. Warren was commenting last weekend and mentioned this band. If I had heard of them before I had forgotten about it. Their sound is right up my alley and I liked it right away. I hear a strong Everly Brothers and Country Byrds with this band. The harmonizing sounds wonderful along with the Rickenbacker jangly guitar. As with my other post today…the hardest part was picking a song because so many are that good.

When Warren mentioned that Billy Cowsill formed the band with Jeffrey Hatcher…it didn’t hit me where I saw that name before. Billy owsill had previously been a member of the 1960s pop group The Cowsills. After hearing the Blue Shadows…I would have never made that connection. Hatcher had been the singer for Jeffrey Hatcher & The Big Beat before joining Cowsill.

They were a Canadian country-rock band formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1992. They had the complete package of harmonies, songwriting, and their blend of country and rock. Many critics drew comparisons to The Everly Brothers and Graham Parsons.

This song is from The Blue Shadows’ debut album, On the Floor of Heaven released in 1993. The band would go on to release 2 albums in total. Their second album Lucky To Me was released in 1995. The band broke up in 1996, partly due to Cowsill’s declining health and a lack of major commercial success. Billy Cowsill passed away in 2006 with various health issues.

Here are the Blue Shadows outside of the recording studio in Vancouver in 1993.

Deliver Me

Driving at midnight and the moon is
Looking right at me
I can feel it settling down on me
Over me
Come deliver me from this night
When I left you standing so alone
Then I started wondering
But I don’t mind saying it now
Oh please come to me
Come deliver me from this night
Ahh that love we had found
Well we drove it underground
Deliver me
This canyon’s on fire now
And I’m wondering
How much longer will it be
Till it comes tumbling down
Over me
Come deliver me from this night
Ahh that love we had found
Well we drove it underground
Deliver me
Yeah all that love we had found
Well we drove it underground
Deliver us from our yesterdays
Hold us together if it can’t be done
Deliver us from all that might be
If we get what we think we want
Ahh deliver me
Driving at midnight and the moon is still
Looking right at me
I can feel it settling down on me
Over me
Come deliver me from this night
Ahh that love we had found
Well we drove it underground
Deliver me
Oh please deliver me
Come on now deliver me
Come on now deliver me
Deliver me from this night
Deliver me
Deliver me
Come on come on come on now deliver me
From this night
Deliver me
Come on, come on deliver me
From this night

Lite-Brite

One of my favorite toys growing up. To this day I like collecting vintage lighting fixtures like soft drink clocks or signs probably because of this toy. They came with designs that you could use to create different cartoons and clowns but I never used those. I liked to create my own masterpieces.

This toy allowed you to be creative in a very different way. It brought out the artistic side in you. You could design different things and it would light up your room in the dark with colors. Lite-Brite was invented by Joseph M. Burck, a senior designer at Chicago toy and game design company Marvin Glass and Associates. The company licensed Lite-Brite to Hasbro, which officially launched it in 1967. It became a staple toy in the 1970s.

Of course…when I got older I would make crude messages on the Lite Brite for friends. Lite-Brite is recognized as one of the greatest toys of all time by the Toy Hall of Fame. It has become part of our pop culture.

Lite Brite commercial from the 1970s. Did you have one growing up?