Category: 2000s

“You shouldn’t like music that was made before you were born”

I thought I would do something different today. I was reminded of this by the phrase, “it was before my time.” Movies and music fall into this category. I do know people who will not watch movies made “before their time.” I don’t think many of my readers would agree to this statement, but who knows?

I had a co-worker in the early 2000s (Sam) tell me that I shouldn’t like music that was before my time because it was unnatural (yes, he said that). I was first kinda of amused and shocked. I like Sam a lot, and we would talk a lot; he is a smart fellow. However, on this point, I didn’t understand. Why? Is there some unwritten law that I can’t like 1950s or 1960s music up to 1967, when I was born?  That cut off some of the best music of the 20th century and beyond.

He grew up in the 80s, as I did,  and was probably around 5 or so years younger than me. I’ve seen other people act the same way. If it were before they were born, then they would not give it a second listen. If a movie is black and white, they act as if they are near a radiation leak!

 I think the subject centered around how I loved 50s and 60s music and The Beatles, The Who, The Stones, and The Kinks. He said I should be listening to music from my teenage years (well, I WAS…60s music was my soundtrack growing up), but I DID listen to the top 40 when I was a teenager, which, to me, didn’t live up to those bands to any degree or form. Maybe it wasn’t fair to compare Men Without Hats to those 1960s bands. It was hard to stomach some of the ’80s for me, but not all. Now I’m busy catching up on music I missed that wasn’t on Top 40 radio at the time. I did find an oasis in the 80s, alternative music like The Replacements and REM…and the classic bands.

I still want to find other music and movies I like. Why would age have any effect on the music, whether we like it or not? That doesn’t mean I don’t like new music. I have posted newer bands here before who have just released albums. If it’s good, it doesn’t matter what era it came from, at least not to me. Christian, Graham, and Lisa all posted some newer songs that I liked. With movies, yes, I find some I like. I just saw Weapons and loved it, plus there are others.

I’m not putting people down at all who think like that. Hey, if that is what they believe, more power to them. I never believed in criticizing people for their opinions, music, or otherwise. Whatever blows their hair back.

Anyway, what do you think? 

…

Sam Roberts – The Inhuman Condition …EP review

I just found this Canadian artist on a recommendation, and I’m loving what I’ve heard so far. I picked a song that I wanted to cover, but I started to listen to the EP and decided to make an EP review instead. I picked up on every song, and it stuck.

Sam Roberts was born in Westmount, Quebec, Canada, in 1974. He started with the violin and then transitioned to the guitar. He was influenced by classic rock and Brit Pop and makes no apologies about it.

Roberts was still an indie artist when he released his 2002 EP The Inhuman Condition, recording much of it on his own dime. The song “Brother Down” caught fire organically; it wasn’t hyped or manufactured. It was word-of-mouth, the way rock used to spread. When the song crossed over to mainstream radio, it became a hit in Canada.

Roberts recorded much of it on his own, along with musician Jordon Zadorozny. Right out of the gate, “Brother Down” hit like an unexpected home run. That track alone could have carried the EP, and he could have filled it with filler, but he didn’t.

Back in 2002, before Spotify and playlist culture, there were still artists working their way onto the airwaves the old-fashioned way, by writing songs so good you couldn’t ignore them. Six songs, no filler, all good. It introduced a new voice to Canadian rock that felt classic and also forward-looking all at once. He is a guy who could hang with Tom Petty, The Clash, and Sloan, yet still sounds completely like himself.

I was intrigued by Brother Down, but then I listened to “Don’t Walk Away Eileen,” which was power pop joy. Big jangly guitars and a hook that could’ve been written in 1966 and still sound fresh. I won’t go through every track but the tracks go in different directions, but stay firmly with his style. When I listen to this EP, I think of The Tragically Hip and Tom Petty’s Damn the Torpedoes. I’ve spot listened to his other albums and this EP, and this one is a great place to start enjoying the music of Sam Roberts.

For you Canadians, if you only know “Brother Down,” go back and play the whole EP. It’s six songs of everything rock should be: melodic and human…and catchy.

Brother Down

One life to live but we’re doing it wrong
You see, got my brother down cause it’s nothing to me
Everyone’s saying that it’s wrong to cheat
But there’s no other way to get my life on easy street

Someone else telling you what you’re living for
Been knocking you down, now you’re looking for more
The only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they’re bringing you war
Rich man’s crying cause his money’s time
And poor man’s smiling cause he knows he ain’t blind
There’s a man over there says he’s tougher than me
But i got eyes that can see through fantasy

I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by

Take it all back cause it don’t mean nothing
If you give it away and you’re looking for something back
Wake up every morning when there’s nothing there
No reason to die but no reason to care

Someone else telling you what you’re living for
Been knocking you down now you’re looking for more
The only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they’re bringing you war
One life to live but we’re doing it wrong
You see, got my brother down cause it’s nothing to me
Rich man’s crying cause his money’s time
Poor man’s smiling cause he knows he ain’t blind

I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by

Jayhawks – I’m Gonna Make You Love Me

I first found out about this group in 2000 with this song. When I heard it I knew I had to find out more about this band. The Jayhawks formed in Minneapolis–Saint Paul in 1985 and played alternative country-rock. They have released 10 studio albums and are worth checking out.

The song peaked at #5 in the Billboard Triple A Chart in 2000. It was off the album Smile, and The Jayhawks took a more pop approach to this album than their earlier alt-country albums. Gary Louris… guitar player, singer, and songwriter, when this album was released: “I grew up listening to pop music, and that was my love. I loved the Beatles and I loved Big Star.”

There is a difference between this and their earlier music. They stuck on the alt-country for a long time. I would call this their “power pop move,” but there’s still that unmistakable Jayhawks DNA, those rich vocal harmonies, the bittersweet chord changes, and Louris’s yearning delivery in the vocals.

The evolution of the song was interesting… Gary Louris: “I wrote that song when my ex-girlfriend walked out the door… I had a different chorus that was a little more subtle, a little more of an artist’s song that you wouldn’t even know is a chorus maybe but it was cool.”

The record label and producer Bob Ezrin wanted a better chorus to make it more accessible. “And that became the thorn in my side, y’know, because I had written a song I liked and it seemed like that’s what it was. This was the beginning of a long process where I wrote with a lot of different people… And I saw a lot of people I respected write many different ways on the same song.”

A suggestion from songwriter Taylor Rhodes helped Louris find the hook he needed. “So that was definitely a lot of hard work on that song. Now I love it, but for awhile I just wanted to be left alone. I didn’t want to ever hear that song again.”

They recently backed Ray Davies on his albums Americana and Our Country – Americana Act II. Their 2016 album Paging Mr. Proust was produced by Peter Buck of REM.

I’m Gonna Make You Love Me

The world never ends
It’s only the beginning
And we can’t pretend
To discover it’s meaning

We talked for hours at a time
Then I came to my senses
You’re more than a friend
You’re my perfect lover

I’ll never be all you want me to
But that’s all right

I’m gonna make you love me
I’m gonna dry your tears
And we’re gonna stay together
For a million years

It’s the least I can do
Just to make you my baby
No words could describe
Oh, pinch me I’m dreaming

Your hair’s long and black
As it lays ‘cross my pillow
When I stare in your eyes
I get lost in your glory

I’ll never be all you want me to
But that’s all right

I’m gonna make you love me
I’m gonna dry your tears
And we’re gonna stay together
For a million years

When you were a little girl
Your great big world came tumbling down
So sad

Yeah, the river it bends
But it flows to the ocean
And baby here I am
I’m your sea of devotion

I’ll never be all you want me to
But that’s all right

I’m gonna make you love me
I’m gonna dry your tears
And we’re gonna stay together
For a million years

Levon Helm – The Mountain

I remember when this album was released, it sounded so pure. Some singers you can spot a mile away. Dylan, Young, Cash, and Levon are part of that group. His strong southern roots tie him to a worn-in in earthy sound. 

Sometimes a singer is married to a feeling that no one else has, and Levon had that quality. Some songs are meant to be heard by him, and Robbie Robertson was the first to notice this and used it to its full effect.  This song was on Dirt Farmer, Levon’s 2007 comeback record and his first solo album in a quarter-century. He was battling throat cancer when he recorded it, his voice raspier than in the old Band days, but somehow more potent.

The song was written by Steve Earle, and Levon brought the song to life. Earle does a great version of it as well, but it was a perfect song for Levon to interrupt. The arrangement is a slow march of banjo, fiddle, and mandolin, paced like a funeral procession up a foggy Appalachian ridge. But it’s that voice that carries the load. Levon sings it not as a narrator but as a ghost buried with his kin under the mountain he gave his life to.

What’s remarkable about Dirt Farmer is how Helm made it in the twilight of his life, and yet it plays like the core of his legacy. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone or reinvent The Band; it’s pure Levon. It was produced by Larry Campbell and Amy Helm, his daughter. 

The album won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album in February 2008. I usually don’t list Grammy awards, but if any album deserved an award…this one does. 

This live video is shaky but the only one I found. The sound is fine. 

The Mountain

I was born on this mountain a long long time ago
Before they knocked down the timber and stripped mined all the coal
When you rose up in the morning before it was light
To go down in that dark hole and come back up at night
I was born on this mountain, this mountain’s my home
She holds me and she keeps me from a worry and a woe
Well they took everything she gave, she gave it now she’s gone
But I’ll die on this mountain, this mountain’s my home

I was young on this mountain but now I am old
And I knew every holler, every cool swimmin’ hole
Til a one night I lay down and I woke up to find
That my childhood was over I went back down in the mine

There’s a hole in this mountain it’s dark and it’s deep
And God only knows all the secrets that it keeps
There’s a chill in the air only miners can feel
There’re ghosts in the tunnels that the company sealed

…

Los Lonely Boys – Heaven

I only had to hear the guitar intro to know I was going to like this song. A perfect blend of Tex-Mex soul, swing, and spirituality, and it sounds natural and flows.  

The band is made up of three brothers from San Angelo, Texas: Henry Garza (guitar and vocals), Jojo Garza (bass and vocals), and Ringo Garza Jr. (drums and vocals). Music was literally the family business. Their father, Enrique Garza Sr., had been part of a Tejano group in the ’70s and ’80s called The Falcones, with his brothers, and the boys grew up playing alongside him, learning the ropes on stage instead of in a garage.

They moved to Nashville for a short time, chasing the dream and refining their style, a mix of Chicano rock, blues, country, and soul that they called Texican Rock ‘n’ Roll. It wasn’t long before they relocated back to Texas and began building a name playing live gigs anywhere they could

Their big break came when they were discovered by Willie Nelson, who caught wind of their live show and invited them to record at his Pedernales Studio. That led to a 1997 self-released album, then a self-titled major-label debut in 2004. This is the album that Heaven was on. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard US Heatseekers Albums, #16 on the Billboard Album Charts. 

The single peaked at #1 on the Adult Contemporary Charts, #16 on the Billboard 100, and #46 on the Billboard Country Charts. I would have never guessed they slipped in the Country Charts. 

Heaven

Vamonos

Save me from this prisonLord, help me get away‘Cause only you can save me now from this misery

I’ve been lost in my own place and I’m gettin’ wearyHow far is heaven?And I know that I need to change my ways of livin’How far is heaven?Lord, can you tell me

I’ve been locked up way too long in this crazy worldHow far is heaven?And I just keep on prayin’, Lord, and just keep on livin’How far is heaven?Yeah, Lord, can you tell me?How far is heaven? (‘Cause I just gotta know how far, yeah)How far is heaven? (Yeah, Lord, can you tell me?)

Tu que estas en alto cieloEchame tu bendicion

‘Cause I know there’s a better place than this place I’m livingHow far is heaven?And I just got to have some faith and just keep on givingHow far is heaven? (Yeah, Lord, can you tell me?)How far is heaven? (‘Cause I just got to know how far, yeah)How far is heaven? (Yeah, Lord, can you tell me?)How far is heaven? (‘Cause I just gotta know how far)I just want to know how far

…

My Jeep Adventure

Occasionally, I’ll post something personal, but I haven’t in a long time, so I thought I would today.

In 2011, I purchased a 2000 Jeep Wrangler for around $8000. Love the Jeep, but I would never want to make a cross-country trip in one, or you would feel like a human milkshake. In 2017, it was missing quite bad and the brake lines rusted. We really didn’t need a second car then, so it sat for a year or so. I bought some brake lines and installed them. After that, I got in the car and bled the brakes, and then a brake caliper busted as soon as I pushed down on the brake pedal.

It sat longer after that, for 7-8 years, which is probably the worst thing you could do to a car or a house, for that matter. We have, and that would be me and my mechanic/bass player friend Greg (more Greg than Max), installed new spark plugs, wires, fuel injectors, exhaust manifold, and brake sensor, and I ordered some tires but forgot to get raised white letter tires, but I’ll get them when the new ones wear out. I’m replacing these because they are slightly dry-rotted, and I’m not taking chances. I drove it to work but made a 45-minute trip into an hour and twenty minutes because of going only on back roads.

The cleaning process was long and tedious. Here is a partial picture of what it looked like before, and the arm of my friend Greg. Mold, grime, dirt, mud, tree sap, and things that were never identified.

Well, an update…we did everything but one thing…Check the lug nuts. On the second day of driving it…I thought I heard a blowout because of the tires… no, it was the wheel flying off. The lug nuts had worked themselves loose…I checked the others to be sure, and they were tight. No damage at all, so now with new tires it rides good…well as good as a Jeep will ride. The only thing I can think of is I took the wheel off 8 years ago and only tightened the lug nuts a little snug since I was going to change brakes or something else….lesson learned!

Here is the picture I took when I got out of the car and noticed the wheel came off…this is not a posed shot…the wheel ended up exactly like this. It’s back running probably better than the day it was bought in 2011.

Getting Tires

At work yesterday, before the tire change.

Max’s lesson of the day…always check the lug nuts.

…

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

…

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

Happy Birthday Bailey

This is a little departure from my regularly scheduled programming. 25 years ago, my son Bailey was born on 4-20-2000. So after midnight, it’s official. I wanted to put this up for him. I couldn’t ask for a better son…even though he arrived on the official Weed Day lol. 

One of Dylan’s songs he really likes. 

And Beatles

Omeleto

This won’t be a long post, but it’s something that you might like. I like movies a lot, but I don’t have time to watch a bunch of them. Omeleto is a company that shows short films from different filmmakers. I’ve seen them from 4 minutes to 30 minutes long. 

They have every kind of short film you can think of. Time Travel, Sci Fi, Art Films, romantic, action, comedy, thrillers, and more. All the films I’ve seen have high production values. These are not amateurs…these are quality. Many are award-winning shorts. Now, some are hit and miss to me, but worth the short amount of time you put into them. They also come from all parts of the world. I’ve seen some with subtitles, but I’ve seen a lot of Irish and British-made ones as well. 

Here is the LINK to their channel. 

I’ll recommend two here. One is about a Time Loop with two completely different brothers, and the other is a horror film. 

Exit Strategy…a time loop film. 15 minutes long. 

This one is a horror short film…19 minutes long.

Cowsills – Cocaine Drain

This is a band I never really thought about posting, although they had some huge hits in the ’60s. This is NOT what I was expecting from the Cowsills.  This song has a Linda Rondstadt/Clapton 1970s feel to it. The album Cocaine Drain Plus 6 was recorded in 1978 but not released until 2008. Paul, John, Barry, Bob, and Susan Cowsill are on this one and worked with Chuck Plotkin. Billy or his mom wasn’t on this album. Susan does most of the singing, and when you hear her grown up…you understand why. 

Susan Cowsill was just a little girl when she joined her brothers in the ’60s. Here she is, just 19 years old, and she belts out this song and others. Like I said, it does have a Ronstadt feel, and she is a very good singer. The band sounds really good. John Hall wrote this song. Critics at the time caught them live playing this song and really liked it. 

Since the band was pigeonholed, they would perform under different names like The Secrets and The Critics in the 1970s. They got together in 1978 after playing in Los Angeles at the time. The album was never completed, and at some point, the master tapes were lost. For almost 30 years, the album existed only as a scratchy acetate. An acetate played like an old 45. They were created for demo or publishing purposes NOT for selling.

In March 2008 a version of the album was finally released, remastered from that acetate under Bob Cowsill’s direction. Several other previously unreleased tracks were included in the 2008 release. After the Cocaine Drain sessions, the Cowsills did some reunion shows in 1979–1980 but returned to their separate careers after that.

Audiophiles here will not be happy, as these are obviously recorded from acetate, and the hisses and pops of any 30-year-old LP are apparent. If they couldn’t get it released when it was recorded, they obviously couldn’t afford high remastering to clean it up, and the value in this release is that we finally get to hear these songs AT ALL. But there are only so many things you can do now, though it probably COULD be cleaned up. I like that the proceeds went straight to the band, as it was released to Apple via their self-owned Robin Records label. It was released as MP3s only. 

They have some good songs on there, and the album is not bad at all. Spotify doesn’t have it, but HERE is a link to the album on YouTube. I added a bonus song called That Particular Way from the same album. 

Cocaine Drain

I remember you,
When you were the talk of town.
You always said,
Hello and goodbye.

You looked me right in the eye.
I could be sure of you,
You’d never lie.
You’re so different now.
Are you going down that Cocaine Drain.

Now you’re up all night (up all night),
Feelin’ like a shining star.
But with the Lord in mind,
Let you forget who you really are (really are).

You’re a fragile thing after all.
Remember that even a heavenly body can fall.
And I’m afraid you’re fallin’, (fallin’)
Falling down that Cocaine Drain.
(I’m afraid, afraid you’re fallin’)
Falling down that Cocaine Drain.
(Cocaine Drain)

Now you’re keeping up,
With some pretty fancy company. (fancy company)
But if things get rough,
You know you can always come to me.
(Come to me)

But please don’t wait too long.
I’ve known a few before you who are already gone.
And I don’t want to see you (I don’t want to see you)
Slipping down that Cocaine Drain.
(Cocaine Drain)

I can’t stand by to see you
Slipping down that Cocaine Drain.
I don’t want to see you
(I don’t want to see you)
Slipping down that –
(I don’t want to see you) Cocaine Drain.
Slipping down that Cocaine Drain.
(I don’t want to see you)
Slipping down that Cocaine Drain.
(I don’t want to see you)
Slipping down that Cocaine Drain.
(I don’t want to see you).

Gillian Welch – Wrecking Ball

I met a lovesick daughter of the San Joaquin
She showed me colors I’d never seen
Drank the bottom out of my canteen
Then left me in the fall
Like a wrecking ball

I was searching around for more singer-songwriters. I’ve heard of her name a lot but didn’t know any songs by her. Smart storytelling against some great music and harmonizing. When I heard her voice and style…I automatically liked it. I use these phrases a lot, but I mean them. Down-to-earth, rootsy, and authentic. I knew I had heard of her and read about her last year on Lisa’s site. 

She grew up in Los Angeles, where she was exposed to folk and country music at an early age. She attended UC Santa Cruz and then the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she met her future collaborator, David Rawlings. She released her debut album, Revival, in 1996. She has 7 studio albums in all right now, with her last one called Woodland, released in 2024.

This song came off of her 4th album, the 2003 Soul Journey. This was written by Welch and her collaborator David Rawlings, as is most of her music. She had usually used sparse recordings up to this point. This one has a full band sound and it works well. The lyrics and music are right up my alley. 

Gillian wrote it about her time in college at UC Santa Cruz, where she started playing in bands and did some experimenting with recreational drugs. She was also apparently a Grateful Dead fan as well. The album peaked at #107 on the Billboard Album Charts, #3 on the US Indie Charts, and #65 in the UK  in 2003.

Wrecking Ball

Look out boys, ’cause I’m a rollin’ stone
That’s what I was when I first left home
I took every secret that I’d ever known
And headed for the wall
Like a wrecking ball

Started down on the road to sin
Playin’ bass under a pseudonym
The days were rough and it’s all quite dim
But my mind cuts through it all
Like a wrecking ball

Oh, just a little deadhead
Who is watching, who is watching?
I was just a little deadhead
I won a dollar on a scholarship
Well, I got tired and let my average slip
Then I was a farmer in the pogonip
Where the weed that I recall
Was like a wrecking ball

I met a lovesick daughter of the San Joaquin
She showed me colors I’d never seen
Drank the bottom out of my canteen
Then left me in the fall
Like a wrecking ball

Standin’ there, in the morning mist
A Jack and Coke at the end of my wrist
Yes, I remember when first we kissed
Though it was nothing at all
Like a wrecking ball

Hey boys, just a little deadhead
Who’s watching, who’s watching?
I was just a little deadhead
With too much trouble for me to shake
Oh, the weather and the blindin’ ache
Was ridin’ high until the ’89 quake
Hit the Santa Cruz garden mall
Like a wrecking ball

…

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? 

John Doe – The Golden State

A few years ago, CB sent me a link for a guy named John Doe (John Nommensen Duchac). At first, not knowing CB well at the time, I thought he had to be mistaken. A definition for John Doe is “originally in legal use as a name of a fictitious plaintiff.” It’s often used to identify an unidentifiable man. I knew nothing about X at that point. I was in for a pleasant surprise when I heard this man. He has many genres covered plus a very successful acting career. Doe is worth checking out if you haven’t already. 

He was born and raised in Decatur, Illinois. He moved to Los Angeles in the late ’70s, where he co-founded X in 1977, along with singer Exene Cervenka, guitarist Billy Zoom, and drummer DJ Bonebrake. The band’s sound combined punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres, creating a style that set them apart from other punk bands at the time. 

He started his solo career in 1990 with the album Meet John Doe and since, he has released 15 albums. Unlike a lot of the X material, his solo material seems to go to alt-country or Americana. X regrouped as well in the early 90s and he also is an actor. He has appeared in movies such as Ring of Fire, ER, Road House, and Great Balls of Fire! to name a few. He has 102 credits as an actor alone. 

The Golden State was released in 2007 on his solo album A Year in the Wilderness, the track showcases Doe’s blend of punk and country influences. The song is a duet that has featured various artists, including Canadian Kathleen Edwards on the original album version. The album peaked at #42 on the US Heatseeker Charts in 2007. 

I like all the versions below including The original album version because Kathleen Edwards sounds so good with Doe. He also has a version with Eddie Vedder and Corin Tucker. 

This version below is with Eddie Vedder and Corin Tucker.

The Golden State

You are the hole in my headI am the pain in your neckYou are the lump in my throatI am the aching in your heartWe are tangledWe are stolenWe are living where things are hidden

You are something in my eyeAnd I am the shiver down your spineYou are on the lick of my lipsAnd I am on the tip of your tongueWe are tangledWe are stolenWe are buried up to our necks in sand

We are luckWe are ]fateWe are the feeling you get in the golden stateWe are loveWe are hateWe are the feeling I get when you walk away….Walk away

Well you are the dream in my nightmareI am that falling sensationYou are not needles and pillsI am your hangover morningWe are tangledWe are stolenWe are living where things are hidden

We are luckWe are fateWe are the feeling you get in the golden stateWe are loveWe are hateWe are the feeling I get when you walk awayWalk awayWalk away

You are the hole in my headYou are the pain in your neckYou are the lump in my throatI am the aching in your heart

…

Head Cat – Fool’s Paradise… album review

I don’t do many album reviews, but this one, I had to write something. I spent this weekend totally locked in on this 2006 album, having it on my computer and phone. It’s a fun rockabilly album well done, and the song selection is terrific. I was going to review another artist, but I got stuck on this one, so I’ll post him next weekend. After the Motörhead post on Friday, CB brought up a rockabilly band that Lemmy was in. I was surprised, to say the least, because I didn’t remember this from the documentary but it’s been a while. I love what I heard. 

I don’t skip tracks because one is as good as the other. There is a bounciness to this album…if that is a word. I could have written a one-word review… FUN. 

Let’s get with the members of this band. On drums, you have Slim Jim Phantom from the Stray Cats. This man pops up everywhere by the way. On Guitar and piano, you have a rockabilly guitarist named Danny B. Harvey. On bass you have Lemmy Kilmister taking a break from Motörhead to play some rockabilly. His voice fits this music well. 

The origins of The Head Cat trace back to a casual collaboration. Lemmy Kilmister, Slim Jim Phantom, and Danny B. Harvey teamed up in 1999 to record a tribute album to Elvis Presley, titled Swing Cats: A Special Tribute to Elvis. The band’s name? Can you guess? Combining Motörhead and The Stray Cats. They released 6 studio and live albums combined. 

They didn’t always pick the most popular rockabilly songs which I love. You have Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Jimmy Reed, and The Crickets songs on this album. Rather than covering Peggy Sue, they cover Peggy Sue Got Married instead which personally I like more. You have a Buddy Holly title cut Fool’s Paradise. You also have Crying, Waiting, Hoping, Not Fade Away, and one of my favorite Holly songs in Well…All Right. 

The reason this and other similar rockabilly albums work is because 1:  The musicians love this type of music and…that damn word again…FUN. 2: The songs are simple and that is not a put-down but they don’t have 12 chords and studio tricks. The songs sound good on backyard porches and would sound great in the Royal Albert Hall or Ryman Auditorium. I think music has moved too far away from this style. 3: When I said these songs were simple I was NOT implying they are easy to play right…on the contrary because you have no distortion box or tricks to hide behind. It takes pure musicians and a love for this music to play it right. These guys grew up with this music so they pour their heart into it. 

I’ll get off my soapbox now but how I wish I would have had this music growing up. I didn’t grow up in this era when the songs were real time but I see why all of the great artists I like… cling to this music. Everyone from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Stones, Springsteen, Dylan, and The Kinks spent their career trying to recapture the spirit in these wonderful songs. The Head Cat did a great job!

Here is the tracklist:

1 Fool’s Paradise
2 Tell Me How
3 You Got Me Dizzy
4 Not Fade Away
5 Cut Across Shorty
6 Lawdy Miss Clawdy
7 Take Your Time
8 Well…All Right
9 Trying To Get To You
10 Learning The Game
11 Peggy Sue Got Married
12 Crying, Waiting, Hoping
13 Love’s Made A Fool To You
14 Big River
15 Matchbox

If you want the complete album on YouTube…here is the link

Well…All Right

Well, alright, so I’m being foolish
Well, alright, let people know
About the dreams I know that you wish
In the night when lights are low

Well, alright, well, alright
We’ll live and love with all our might
Well, alright, well, alright
Our lifetime love will be alright

Well, alright, so I’m going steady
It’s alright, let people say
That those foolish kids can’t be ready
For the love that comes their way

Well, alright, well, alright
We’ll live and love with all our might
Well, alright, well, alright
Our lifetime love will be alright

Well, alright, well, alright
You know we’ll live and love with all our might
Well, alright, well, alright
You know our lifetime love will be alright

….