True Love Travels On A Gravel Road

 

 

One of my favorite songs ever. Great melody, beautiful lyric, and several fine performances. Written by the songwriting team of Arthur Owens and Dallas Frazier, the first performance was by Duane Dee, and it's a good version that made it to #58 on the country charts. 

In 1969, Elvis Presley recorded it on his fabulous comeback record From Elvis In Memphis, and it is certainly the definitive version. The Memphis guys play it perfectly, and Elvis is fully invested in the lyric, and sings it straight from the heart. A highlight of what is arguably Elvis' best record.

Next up was a soul version by Percy Sledge, taken maybe a little too fast, but Percy sings it big like he usually does. Another solid interpretation, but nothing beats Elvis.

In 1992, The Afghan Whigs covered the song, and it is a different interpretation for sure. I haven't warmed to it much. Not great, not terrible.

In 1994, both Nick Lowe and The Highwaymen covered the song. Nick Lowe's version is a lovely, heartfelt take, and the Highwaymen do a decent job even with the four of them taking vocal turns.

Ultan Conlon, an Irish singer-songwriter did a nice version featuring Katie Theasby in 2020.

Louis Cole Quality Over Opinion 2022

Here's something you don't see on this blog very much these days. It's a new record by a contemporary artist that doesn't sound like it could have been made years ago. It's actually heavily synthesized, with treated and/or falsetto vocals, some spoken word/rap lyrics, and mostly electronic drums. That's four things I usually don't care for. It's modern, and surprisingly, I like it very much. I never would have picked it out myself - my son-in-law sent it to me. We both love music, and our tastes in music are approximately 180 degrees apart. I try to find stuff he might like and he does the same, but it doesn't work every time for either of us.

The record opens with the title track, a spacey synth orchestra piece with a spoken word/rap lyric that has a lot of words that are interesting. It's good. I should mention that on most of this record, I wouldn't get any of the lyrics without the lyric sheet, so thank goodness they included it. Next up, Dead Inside Shuffle has great funky beats, treated vocal, horns, and sounds a bit like a Prince tune. Not Needed Anymore has a fast monotone beat, and guitar that I would not have identified as guitar without the credits, and another good lyric. Shallow Laughter uses more spacey synthesizer plus violin and cello and incomprehensible lyrics. Bitches follows with another hot beat and fast tempo. Message is a sad ballad with interesting instrumentation. And that's only side one of four.

Side two opens with Failing In A Cool Way, a highlight for sure, with great drums, funky rhythm, and another great lyric. Disappear is a mellow ballad with more obscure vocals. I'm Tight is another great one featuring fast and hot drums, a trance-like beat, and a lot of wordy lyrics. True Love gets a synth sound from treated guitar and has a nice, almost discernible lyric.

Four of the five songs on side three feature more great funky drumming. Planet X is another Prince-like fast rap, Let Me Snack goes from a quiet start to a hard rock/metal section and more squiggly synths, Forgetting has a nice lyric, Park Your Car On My Face makes the best use of horns anywhere on the record and has some naughty lyrics, and Don't Care has a fine guest vocal that you can hear and a nice jam with bass, drums, and synth. 

Laughing In Her Sleep is a beautiful love song. Outer Moat Behavior is mostly groove, and it's a good groove. When is another love song featuring a nice guest guitar at the end. Let It Happen is a slow building beauty with a big sound, and Little Piano Thing is sweet and simple to close the record.

Of the twenty songs, ten are outstanding and the rest is almost as good. There are no songs that spoil the party, and that's impressive. The lyrics are interesting, sometimes funny, and occasionally downright charming. The falsetto voice he uses most of the time is fine. His synthesizer work and the compositions themselves are very good, and interesting. But the highlight, at least for me, is when he's behind the drum kit. He's a really great drummer, creative, sometimes jazzy, always funky, and consistently hot.

Wow, something really new that I really like.

The James Gang The Best of the James Gang Featuring Joe Walsh 1973

Joe Walsh made three records with the James Gang, a formidable power trio with Jim Fox on drums and Dale Peters on bass. None of those three records was great, but they all included great moments, which is what this record is about.

The hits are here (Funk #49, Walk Away, Must Be Love) but so are a nice set of album tracks that show the band as more than just a power trio. Walsh had a ballad side that almost lives up to his rocking.

Walsh went on to a lengthy solo career and of course joined the Eagles and made a ton of money while raising that band from country-rock status. That's him and Don Felder rocking the twin guitar parts on the title track of Hotel California. I know plenty of people are sick of that song, and for good reason, but it is an outstanding guitar duet.

This one isn't available on CD, and the available CDs have too many other songs on them to really be called "best of". A great find for a vinyl hunter, and an excellent example of why Pete Townsend admired Walsh as a guitar player.

Todd Rundgren Runt 1970 and alternate reissue 2023

I broke one of my own "rules" just this week. I purchased the new reissued Runt album. I have bought many expanded and remixed records over the years and I generally find little of importance in the "bonus" tracks, and the newly remixed or remastered versions may sound a little better, but rarely enough to make the purchase essential. I had mostly given up on the whole reissue idea, at least if I had the original.

Sal Nunziato over at the Burning Wood blog went gaga over this reissue a couple of weeks ago, and he is a bona fide Rundgren afficianato. I think he likes everything Todd ever did, even the recent stuff. But he knows his Todd, and I always liked this debut. Also, I always thought that the first print Ampex copy I own didn't really sound that great. Sometimes it sounds like there's tape wobble changing the pitch of the piano, and there are other problems. I think the spindle hole is too far off center.

This reissue is significantly different from the original pressing (I haven't heard the other reissues). There are new songs. One is Say No More, which seems to serve as an intro to Birthday Carol. It's nothing special. There's also Hope I'm Around, which was on his second album in essentailly the same arrangement. Devil's Bite opens the record in place of Broke Down And Busted (the two songs swap positions on side one). Right from the get-go, the mix on Devil's Bite is vastly superior to the original. We Gotta Get You A Woman also sounds better, but not enough to buy this record.

But here's the coolest thing. I always loved the three song medley of Baby Let's Swing/The Last Thing You Said/Don't Tie My Hands. On this new version, the songs from the medley are each presented as separate songs, and both Baby Let's Swing and The Last Thing You Said have additional verses not included in the medley. It is a treat to hear the three of them, and the medley is on the flip side of the We Gotta Get You A Woman 45 that accompanies the LP, so you get that too.

But I have to say that having heard this version, I'd be OK without it. I mean really, how bad did I need to have this version of a record I have enjoyed for 50 years? Then again, the sound of the mix is certainly an improvement on the original. Any way you cut it, it is an excellent record, and this new one sounds much better than the original. But I won't be changing my basic opinion of reissues in general, and it'll probably be a while before I break the rules again.

P. Hux As Good As Advertised 2023

Parthenon Huxley has been around since the early eighties producing finely crafted power pop, as well as completing two stints (1999-2007, 2011) with ELO Part 2/The Orchestra, the touring band that kept ELO alive after Jeff Lynne departed. You can hear how Huxley would do a fine job with Lynne's vocal parts with ease. Plus he's a talented guitarist.

The P. Hux albums have all been great power pop gems, and this one is no exception. A highly capable writer, Huxley pens hooky tunes with smart lyrics and melodies that sound familiar but are hard to place. He has an outstanding voice and as mentioned, plays hot and tasty guitar. Add to all that a talented band with Dave Phenicie on bass, Ricky Wise on drums, and Daniel Clarke on keyboards. Clarke's piano and organ really add a lot of color to these songs. He decorates the melodies and plays some lead keyboard breaks that add depth to the basic trio sound he admirably expands.

Catchy pop/rock dominates the record, and As Good As Advertised, Til The World Looks Right, Rainbow, This Song Reminds Me Of You, Human Again, and Bitter Tears are all solid, with great vocals, guitar and keyboards, and hooks galore. The ballads are equally strong, with What's It Gonna Take, Sad About The Boy and Uncivil War all keeping the quality high. Uncivil War could be about a disappointing relationship or maybe its about the political polarization of our country. It works both ways. Finally, Mister Black Sky answer's the old ELO hit and includes some of that Jeff Lynne reverb on Huxley's vocal. There isn't a weak song on the disc.

This is about as good as modern rock/power pop gets. Lots of bands have done this gig in the past and many continue today, but nobody does it any better than Parthenon Huxley.

Lucinda Williams Lu's Jukebox Six Releases 2021-2022

From October through December 2020 during Covid lockdown, Lucinda Williams performed a series of live in the studio sets for streaming, with proceeds going to music venues financially hit by closed doors. She ended up doing six of them altogether, and each night was a themed concert featuring cover versions. CDs of the performances were released in 2021 and 2022. The idea is certainly cool, and Lucinda most likely drew a good deal of ticketed streaming. I'll take them in the order they were released.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 1 – Runnin' Down a Dream: A Tribute to Tom Petty is a pretty good show, and Williams clearly loves the Southern connection she shares with Petty, and hits on quite a few of his Southern themed songs. Lucinda sounds great, and the band is solid. Rebels, Runnin' Down A Dream, Louisiana Rain, I Won't Back Down, and You Know How It Feels are highlights, but there are none of his early rockers that I love, so it's not the set I would have wished for. And no Magnolia? You may like it more than I did.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 2 – Southern Soul: From Memphis to Muscle Shoals is a great set that plays to Lucinda's strengths. There's not a misstep anywhere. Ode To Billie Joe, I Can't Stand The Rain, It Tears Me Up, Rainy Night In Georgia, all have Williams digging deep into her soulful delivery. Games People Play, Take Me To The River, and Williams' own Still I Long For Your Kiss are also highlights, but every song is a winner. If I had to pick just one of these Jukebox releases, this is the one.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 3 – Bob's Back Pages: A Night of Bob Dylan Songs isn't the thrill it seems like it should have been. I can't really pinpoint why it was a disappointment for me, but it was. Song selection wasn't always great, and even some of the ones that sound like a great idea for Lucinda were just not that exciting. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry was my favorite, but not much else wowed me.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 4 – Funny How Time Slips Away: A Night of 60's Country Classics seems like a great idea, especially after the success of Vol. 2. I can't say I was thrilled with the song selection, and the band, with too much pedal steel guitar, sounds like a cover band from anywhere. Lucinda sings most of it well, but even Night Life, Long Black Limousine, Gentile On My Mind, and the title track are just not great deliveries.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 5 – Have Yourself a Rockin' Little Christmas with Lucinda is a huge letdown. Not really a surprise when the artist is known for material ranging from melancholy to downright sad (and occasionally bitterness) but a letdown all the same. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' is fun, and a few others should be, but Lucinda's delivery just doesn't have the lighthearted positivity that these songs beg for.

Lu's Jukebox Vol. 6 – You Are Cordially Invited...A Tribute to the Rolling Stones ends the series on a high note. She sticks to the great sixties/early seventies material the band is famous for, and anger is a very good match for her voice. And the band rocks. Early songs Satisfaction, The Last Time, Get Off My Cloud, Paint It Black are great. Street Fighting Man, You Gotta Move, Sway, and You Can't Always Get What You Want rock hard and Lucinda tears 'em up.

Vol. 1, Vol. 2, and Vol.6 are recommended. You may like the others more than I did, but only if you think she can do no wrong, or maybe if you just can't get enough Dylan.

Bob Dylan Shadow Kingdom 2023

This new Bob Dylan record is an odd entry in the catalog, and a good one in most ways. The studio recording was used as the soundtrack to the "concert" film Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan by Alma Har'el. It was recorded in early 2021 with a drummer-less band featuring Don Was, T-Bone Burnett, Greg Leisz, Jeff Taylor, Doug Lacy, and Tim Pierce.The arrangements are acoustic, the songs are from Dylan's catalog, originally released between 1965 and 1989, with one new instrumental, the lovely Sierra's Theme that closes the album. 

The arrangements are all very different from their original versions, most of them strikingly so. Some of the songs fare better in these new arrangements than others, but the approach is admirable and certainly more interesting than a simple re-recording of past material. The arrangements are generally sparse, and feature accordion on almost all tracks. Dylan plays harmonica quite a bit, and the band is loose and casual sounding. Nothing is "thrown off", but some of it is meant to sound that way. Dylan's singing is quietly up front and very expressive, especially since he doesn't have to sing "over" the music. 

The set opens with When I Paint My Masterpiece, and it takes a while to realize it's the same song. That happens quite a few times on the earliest work such as Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I Go Mine), Queen Jane Approximately, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, and Pledging My Time. There are versions of To Be Alone With You (Nashville Skyline), What Was It You Wanted (Oh Mercy), The Wicked Messenger and I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (John Wesley Harding), and an especially poignant Forever Young, one of several standouts.

Compared to most legacy artists, Dylan continues to find new approaches while refusing to do the same thing. During the eighties and most of the nineties, that produced mostly disappointing results, while more recently it has produced some great records. I don't know if this is essential Dylan, but if you think any of his work in the last twenty years is essential, then you should at least hear this one.