The Outlaws

  Wanted!

The Outlaws is a rare gem in my collection, a deserted island record that I revisit two or three times a year. This year, it’s a special treat as it’s the second time I’m immersing myself in its melodies, wait a moment, and now, it’s become the third. Released in 1976, it was a collaborative effort by the pioneers of the outlaw country music genre- Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jesse Colter. The Outlaws made history by becoming the first Country and Western music album to be certified platinum, reaching number one on the country charts and ten on the pop charts.

I have a personal connection with this album, having bought it from a record store on 118th Ave and 124 Street, a place that holds a special place in my heart. The store, sadly, is no longer there, but the owner had the best C&W album selection in the city at the time. I used to pop in every payday to buy albums and, of course, to have those wonderful music conversations.

The Outlaws charted two singles, Suspicious Minds and Good Hearted Woman. It also had songs that are lodged in my brain cells, My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys, Honky Tonk Heroes, I’m Looking for Blue Eyes (Jesse on lead vocals), and Me and Paul. 

An interesting bit of trivia is that Steve Earle played acoustic guitar on the album. Steve was working day jobs in Nashville and playing music every chance he had. After several years in Nashville, he relocated to Texas, where he hit restart. That worked out pretty well for him in the long run.

This record is essential for any list of outlaw country and country music in general. It is well-produced by several unnamed folks who did a good job. Interestingly, the songs were recorded over several years and in different locations, but they were all done in one studio with one producer. I should offer a tip of the hat to the person who pulled them all together. I highly recommend this album.

Buck Owens

It Takes People Like You To Make People Like Me

Buck Owens is the king of the Bakersfield Sound. Buck Owens music is unmistakably country, with a Do-si-do that gives it a little swagger to a new place on the dance floor. Dwight Yoakam is a more recent adoptee of the Bakersfield Sound that you may be aware of. He cites Buck Owens as his inspiration.

Two crucial British Invasion-era rock bands displayed some Bakersfield influences. The Beatles recorded a popular version of Owens’ “Act Naturally” with Ringo Starr on lead vocal. Years later, the Rolling Stones made their connection explicit in the lyrics of the very Bakersfield-sounding “Far Away Eyes,” which begins: “I was driving home early Sunday morning, through Bakersfield.”

It Takes People Like You To Make People Like Me is full of love-found, love-lost, typical music fare. If you like traditional Country and Western music, you will enjoy this album as much as I have.

Elaine Paige

  Stages

When I first picked up Elaine Paige’s Stages, I was skeptical. I’ve never been a fan of stage and screen music or musicals. However, as I listened to Stages, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Elaine Paige’s vocal prowess. It’s a testament to the power of music to transcend personal preferences and surprise us with its beauty wherever we may find it.

Matthew Nowhere

  Crystal Heights

Crystal Heights was suggested to me by Matthew Nowhere’s PR firm, Shameless Promotion PR; I liked it from the first notes of Gary Numan or Kraftwerk-influenced robotic voices. “This album takes another look at something beautiful once rejected. I decided to return to the music that was all around during my childhood, and to explore the entire emotional landscape of those incredibly formative years. ‘Crystal Heights’ represents an embracing of a forgotten part of early childhood, and a celebration of all the incredible creativity that was everywhere at the time.” Images of OMD, Depeche Mode and New Order abound in Crystal Heights. Matthew Nowhere has crafted a delightful listening experience that combines the sentiment of times gone by with the smooth sensation of today’s music. Modern gear and recording methods probably contributed to making this excellent recording.

Crystal Heights’ album order  
https://matthewnowhere.bandcamp.com/album/crystal-heights
‘Transmission’ / Album Teaser  https://youtu.be/RBd4UldpYfI
‘Transforming’ feat. Lunar Twin  https://tinyurl.com/Matthew-Nowhere-Transforming
YouTube Visualizer  https://youtu.be/5-JOsCWj7Rw
‘Stellar Enfoldment’  https://youtu.be/XYBwfCO5xRU
‘Echoes Still Remain’  https://youtu.be/UG7OcHfkW1Y
‘Love Is Only What We Are’  https://youtu.be/c8IG0iDVkIA
Spotify  https://open.spotify.com/artist/1psCPo3RHQK3ZjSGKTEaWV
Soundcloud  https://soundcloud.com/matthewnowhere

Shameless Promotion PR at contact@shamelesspromotionpr.com

Jennifer Warnes

 Famous Blue Raincoat

Released in November 1986, Famous Blue Raincoat is a tribute to Leonard Cohen, with whom Warnes had toured as a backup singer in the 1970s. The album’s songs span much of Cohen’s career, from his 1969 album Songs from a Room to his 1984 album Various Positions (on which Warnes sang), and even two songs (“First We Take Manhattan” and “Ain’t No Cure for Love“) from Cohen’s then-unreleased album I’m Your Man. – Wikipedia.

I have enjoyed this album as much as any of Leonard Cohen’s own albums.

George Harrison

Cloud Nine

The quiet Beatle Harrison found his voice on this album, released in 1987. “Harrison’s cover of Rudy Clark’s little-known song “Got My Mind Set on You” quickly reached number 1 in the United States and 2 in the United Kingdom. It was Harrison’s first single to top the US charts since “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” in 1973. A few weeks later, the album Cloud Nine was released to high anticipation and a favourable critical reception.” – Wikipedia

Bee Gees

  Spirits Have Flown

It’s not my favourite Bee Gees record; it’s too much disco for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FEbFLsA59M

John Stewart

 Punch The Big Guy

Punch the Big Guy is not my favourite John Stewart recording. I am a diehard fan of Bombs Away Dream Babies. Trivia time. Do you know the name of the group that John Stewart was a member of before going solo? Answer at the end of his blog.

Steve Abma

 Leaving Omaha

I had forgotten all about this recording. I was trying to enter some cassette tapes into Discogs, and Abma was in the “A” drawer. I liked this album when I first bought it, but it got relegated to the cassette drawer, and with CDs and the resurgence of records, the cassette got lost in the transition. I don’t know what happened to Steve Abma after Leaving Omaha.

Phil Keaggy

 The Master and the Musician

Released in 1978, The Master and the Musician is the first solo acoustic album from Phil Keaggy, his fourth album overall. It blows my mind when I hear this man play guitar—his crazy, next-level playing rises above the crowd. Phil Keaggy is regarded as one of the greatest guitarists ever. I enjoy all his albums, but this one is special to me. I sink into my recliner, close my eyes, and let the music take me away.

Various  

Outlaw Country

A playlist from YouTube Music while I mowed the lawn.

Chris de Burgh

The Getaway

If I hear the name Chris de Burgh, the first thing that springs to mind is Spanish Train. The second will be “Don’t Pay The Ferryman,” if I remember anything other than Spanish Train, which is dubious.

“Don’t Pay The Ferryman” is from the album The Getaway and was a moderate hit for de Burgh. While I am not a fan of Chris de Burgh, the only album I had was Spanish Train and Other Stories, I didn’t mind dropping a buck to pick up two of his albums, The Getaway and Into The Light, from a garage sale.

After listening to The Getaway, I didn’t mind the song “Don’t Pay The Ferryman.” It is in the same style as Spanish Train, an epic story song. The remainder of the album was a waste of cassette tape.

Ricky Nelson

All My Best

This album is worthy of the word “Best.” Ricky Nelson was a very talented man, and it shows in this collection of songs. It is one hit single after another; add them up, and I get 4 grand slams. All My Best is sing-along gold for a certain generation, and I am a proud member of that generation.

Jackson Browne 

Lives In The Balance

Lives In The Balance is another excellent album from Jackson Browne. Thanks to a friend’s ticket gift, I was privileged to see him live in concert. It was a good show that covered his career without being maudlin.

John Cougar

American Fool

Dang, that pile of 50-cent cassettes was surely stacked with talent. American Fool is full of great songs that I could sing along with if I could sing. “Jack and Dianne” is a wonderful story song; if you read these blogs regularly, you will know by now that I like story songs.

Wow! What a great week for music. A little of this and a little of that. I know a few of next week’s lineups already. Several of my all-time favourite bands, no new material, just some amazing albums. Some international fare and who knows what else, we will have to wait and see.

Happy listening, everyone. And remember, a day without music is like a fish without a bicycle.

Trivia answer: John Stewart was a member of The Kingston Trio. He was also the songwriter of the Monkees‘ No. 1 hit “Daydream Believer“. John Stewart had a solo career spanning 40 years that included almost four dozen albums and more than 600 recorded songs.