I am back on the horse and listening to lots of good music, some old and some new. To paraphrase an old friend of mine, Ernie, “All music is good music, but some are better than others”. And that is subjective.

Luke the Drifter Jr. by Hank Williams Jr.

“Luke the Drifter Jr.” comes on the heels of his father’s shoes, and those are mighty big shoes to fill. Hank Jr. strived to find his own voice, one that is original and not dependent on his Dad’s songs. Luke the Drifter Jr. gives us some of that original material and finds Hank Jr. pivoting away from riding his dad’s coattails. It is a good album, but some of Jr.’s best were released after the Drifter. And as always, that is in my subjective opinion.

“The Mason Williams Phonograph Record” by Mason Williams. Famous for one track, Classical Gas, but the album has more to offer than that. This album was a nice chill break, a relaxing listen that didn’t require much of me.

Next up is the last of the Williamses. Robin Williams. He did some really good acting on TV (Mork and Mindy) and on the big screen (Good Morning, Vietnam). Robin Williams starred in many movies that established him as a respected actor in the eyes of both critics and fans. He also did live stand-up comedy and made the rounds of late-night talk shows. Unfortunately, this record did not strike a chord with my wife or my funny bones. There were very few chuckles to be found.

Bob Wills and Boxcar Willie were both really good albums. Bob Mills was a big deal in western swing, and Boxcar Willie was a traditional country and western star. Both of these danced into my wheelhouse.

Wings, aka Sir Paul, entertained me for a while. These are not my favourite solo albums from the Beatles; I leaned heavily towards John Lennon. These are not bad records, just not my cupa tea.

Mac Wiseman snapped me back to listening to Country music. This is a good example of traditional country music. I will have to listen to this one again in short order.

Stevie Wonder brings us to Innervisions is my only Stevie album, but what an amazing album it is. Often sitting in lists of island records and best-of collections, Innervisions finds Stevie Wonder moving from his early period as Little Stevie Wonder into a place where he has a more mature sound, his own voice. He also started using. 

Return of the Halcyon Days by The Bloody Strummers arrived in my inbox a few days back, and I have listened and re-listened to this album. My first impression was that I thought they sounded like Joy Division. I listened to Closer and then Return of the Halcyon Days. And then I listened to Unknown Pleasures, and then I listened to Return of the Halcyon Days again. The connection faded somewhat, but I still hear the synth-driven sound, as well as the way certain words are pronounced and delivered to us. They may give a tip of the hat to Joy Division, but that does not make them a cover band. The Bloody Strummers have their own sound, their own delivery and their own lyrical content. Bring that all together, and we have a darn good album that can stand on its own two feet.

Gary Wright started his music career with the Band Spooky Tooth and achieved some success with them before going solo, which led to Dream Weaver. This was his third solo album, and it would prove to be his most well-known and commercially successful. It has passed the test of time in the gap between my ears. I enjoyed reuniting with Dream Weaver.

Have two albums by XTC, issued 8 years apart, that sound like they could have been back-to-back. I confess that I only have these albums for two songs each. I bet you know which songs those are. “Finding Nigel” and “Dear God”. I put “Dear God” in my Nonconformist God playlist. I have eight songs in there now, so a blog about that could be in the works.

Back to some Country and Western music. Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room features two of Dwight Yoakam‘s biggest hits, “I Sang Dixie” and “Streets of Bakersfield,” which was a duet with Buck Owens. I recommend reading about Streets Bakerfield on Wikipedia. Would stretch that to reading about all of the albums that I list on my blogs. There is a plethora of information on Wikipedia alone, not to mention other sources. I like reading the backstories and learning about the artist and their connection to the song, and more often than you would guess. Connections to other musicians, such as linking Dwight Yoakam to Buck Owens and explaining where they fit in the traditional country, Outlaw country, Bakersfield sound, and Nashville sound camps. I am definitely in the traditional camp, but I am not snobbish and will listen to the slick Nashville music when an artist from there pops up.

Faron Young, Hello Walls. I had a cousin named Faron Young; as far as I know, he never sang country music. The Faron Young who sang the smash hit Hello Walls was not my cousin. This album took me to a good place. A dopamine flood filled my brain, and I sat back and listened. Focused listening, hearing the individual instruments. Listening for the flow of the lyrics and their waltz with the music. Good stuff.

Neil Young will close the “Y” section, but I only had enough time this week to listen to one of his albums, After the Gold Rush. After the Gold Rush was Neil Young’s third album. The album was recorded with members of both of his associated groups at the time, Crazy Horse and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, as well as the first appearance by long-time collaborator Nils Lofgren. Neil had an impressive group of friends. CSN&Y are a long-time favourite of mine, and I discovered Nils Lofgren from this album. I don’t have every Neil Young album, but I do have a nice little collection of his music. I look forward to hearing more of Neil this week.

 

Shameless Promotions sent me an email that had the lovely band The Noise Who Runs and a single from them.

UK alternative electro-pop artist The Noise Who Runs a.k.a. Ian Pickering(known for his work with SNEAKER PIMPS and Front Line Assembly) returns with the energetically-charged single ‘Bang Bang‘, a reflection on the psychic exhaustion of life in constant crisis mode, capturing the physical, emotional and political toll of a world where outrage replaces thought and reaction substitutes responsibility. This and a second video, ‘The Bodies Are Under The Bus Again‘, preview his ‘RE: GEN X’ album, addressing the struggles of modern life, the grind of underpaid, overworked existence and betrayal in the echelons of power.

Now based in Lille, France, Pickering is originally from Hartlepool in the north-east of England. Pickering co-authored such Sneaker Pimps hits as ‘Spin Spin Sugar’, ‘6 Underground’ and ‘Tesko Suicide’. Pickering’s new album highlights the generational divide, with Generation X, the beneficiaries of the now-dying post-war dream, having left younger generations to navigate a precarious future. As Pickering puts it, “We fucked up the kids.”

Thank you, Shawna.

Luke The Drifter, Jr.	Luke The Drifter, Jr.
Mason Williams	The Mason Williams Phonograph Record
Robin Williams	Reality…What a Concept
Bob Wills	The Voice and Band of Bob Wills
Boxcar Willie	King Of The Road (20 Great Tracks)
Wings	Venus and Mars
Wings	Wings at the Speed of Sound
Mac Wiseman	Mac Wiseman
Stevie Wonder	Innervisions
The Bloody Strummers	Return of the Halcyon Days
Joy Division	Closer
Gary Wright	The Dream Weaver
XTC	Drums and Wire
XTC	Skylarking
Dwight Yoakam	Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room
Faron Young	Hello Walls
Neil Young	After The Gold Rush