Axl's Catch Groove

My introduction to Neil Young was 1979’s Rust Never Sleeps. I was a late bloomer to rock and pop and became “experienced” in the fall of 1977 when I entered college. By the time Trans came out in early 1983 I was a serious musichead.

Most of Neil’s fans were baffled by Trans given its electronica stylings. His fans were used to major stylistic shifts in Neil’s career, but going “Kraftwerk” was absolutely baffling to most of his fans. It was greeted with similar negativity as Bob Dylan’s Christian period. I was too Neil Young ignorant to be scandalized by Trans. I liked it from the get-go. It was more fun than Neil’s previous records: Re·ac·tor (1981) and Hawks & Doves (1980) – although with four additional decades of experience with Neil, both of those albums sound better than I remember.

Despite its reputation as an electronica album, it is really not. 3 of 9 songs are typical of Neil (“Like An Inca” is a classic). Even the songs dominated by synths and vocoder would not be mistaken as Kraftwerk songs – Neil’s musical personality shines through even though this is a major stylistic left turn for him. I see it as more of a brilliant experiment. For example, Neil does an imaginative cover of his Buffalo Springfield song “Mr. Soul” that is equal part electronica and Crazy Horse proto-grunge. The album also has my most quoted Neil lyric – due to the sheer silliness of it – “I need a unit to sample and hold.”

The album has a fascinating context. Per Wikipedia:

From late 1980 to mid-1982, Young spent much of his waking hours carrying out a therapy program for his young son, Ben, who was born with cerebral palsy and unable to speak. Neil disclosed to almost no one at the time that he was doing so, or that the repetitive nature of the songs on both the previous album, Re·ac·tor, and this one related to the exercises he was performing with Ben. Work on Trans began in late 1981 as a continuation of Re·ac·tor, with the usual Crazy Horse lineup. But then Young started playing with two new machines he had acquired, a Synclavier and a vocoder. Crazy Horse guitarist Poncho Sampedro recalled, “Next thing we knew, Neil stripped all our music off, overdubbed all this stuff, the vocoder, weird sequencing, and put the synth shit on it.”

I saw the tour that supported Trans, which was billed as a solo show. Neil played solo both acoustic and electric. He played a cross-section of his catalog and some of Trans. The real surprise was the encore – an unannounced appearance by the Shocking Pinks – a novelty rockabilly band complete with gaudy outfits. It was one of the most memorable concerts I have witnessed. The Shocking Pinks gimmick was captured on Everybody’s Rockin’ (also released in 1983).

Trans and Everybody’s Rockin’ resulted in Young’s new label (Geffen) suing him for not being commercial and being “musically uncharacteristic of [his] previous recordings.” The lawsuit backfired and David Geffen personally apologized to Young for the lawsuit and for interference with his work.

Overall I loved the album and it endeared me to Young. It is a gem if you open your mind to the experiment.

Neil Young is not on Spotify due to his outrage over the podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, which Neil felt was responsible for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccination. Young’s recordings, including Trans, are available on other streaming platforms.

I was scrolling through Tidal when I came to the “Suggested new albums” section and for some reason, this album caught my attention. I had not heard of Jason Eady. I played it and I was instantly engaged. It reminded me of Tony Joe White, Bonnie Raitt, and J. J. Cale: swampy, funky country, and a bit of the blues.

Eady has a pleasant baritone voice with a little bit of Willie Nelson’s drawl. There are gorgeous slithering guitar riffs, gospelish backup vocals, funky keys, and a wicked groove from the rhythm section. This is a well-executed album. It sounds like a band and not just a singer-songwriter.

Mississippi was produced by Band of Heathens‘ Gordy Quist. I am unfamiliar with Band of Heathens, but this album has piqued my interest. The band is Jason Eady on vocals and acoustic guitar; Dave Jimenez on electric, acoustic, and slide guitars; Trevor Nealon on keyboards and piano; Nick Jay on bass; Clint Simmons on drums; Branden Lewis on trumpet; Courtney Patton and Kelley Mickwee on harmony vocals.

Per Jason’s website:

“Mississippi is an album I’ve been wanting to make for a long time. I’ve always been a lyrics first kind of writer, but this time around it’s all about the sound. Growing up in Mississippi, I was raised around that groove centered music and it’s always been a very big part of what I do. I’ve usually had at least one song on each album that touched on this sound, but this time I went all in. This was a fun album to write because I completely shifted gears and let the music decide what the words were going to be. The words had to fit the music, which is the opposite of my usual process.“

This album is totally about the groove. But that does mean it is lyrically dumb. I haven’t listened to Eady’s music before so I have no idea if this album is representative of his catalog. This is going to be on my favorites of 2023.

I am a long-time fan of Lucinda Williams. My first taste was her 1988 album on Rough Trade – the self-titled Lucinda Williams. I saw her at 7th Street Entry (Minneapolis) on the tour in support of that album. I have kept up with her recordings over the years and have seen her live several times.

This is Lucinda’s first album since her stroke in 2020. Although the stroke affected her guitar playing, her voice is as strong as ever. She wanted to make a rock & roll album. Lucinda told Rolling Stone magazine:

“I wanted to write more rock & roll songs, à la Tom Petty,” says Williams, who opened for Petty at his final show before his death in 2017. “That’s been a desire of mine, but they’re harder to write. When I sit down with my guitar, I go into ballad mode. That’s from my folk days, I guess.”

Sometimes, as Williams herself says, you just need to rock: “We got through the pandemic. Let’s get back together, have some drinks and stay up all night.”

Rolling Stone

It definitely has a rock & roll vibe, but it still maintains Lucinda’s folk rock/Americana roots.

“Let’s Get The Band Back Together” has a nice loose bar band vibe. Sloppy like the Stones, that is, sloppy in a good way (this sets the tone for the whole album). The guitars and the B3 are so tasty. And my gal Margo Price is on background vocals and tambourine!

On “New York Comeback” in addition to Lucinda’s drawl, you get tight harmonies and call and response from Bruce Springsteen. I love mic drop rhythms like this:

“Before they cut the house lights
Before you walk into the night
Before you head out to last call 
For that last stiff highball”

“Last Call For Truth” takes a drinking song and makes it poetic:

“GIVE ME ONE MORE SONG TO SING ALONG TO
GIVE ME ONE MORE DANCE TO HOLD YOU THROUGH 
GIVE ME ONE MORE TASTE OF MY LOST YOUTH
AND IT'S LAST CALL FOR THE TRUTH 
IT'S LAST CALL FOR THE TRUTH”

“Jukebox” is a tribute to the original streaming device. There used to be really cool curated jukeboxes – they could define an establishment.

“Stolen Moments” is a nice song about a lost lover remembered in those rare quiet moments in a busy life.

Side two opens with “Rock N Roll Heart” with Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa on backup vocals. The song is a tribute to the simple fact that rock n roll can be spiritual and aid in survival. Lucinda sings: “As long as you’ve got a rock n roll heart / It can’t be broken or torn apart.”

On “This Is Not My Town” Lucinda is channeling Patti Smith channeling The Doors. Another great Margo Price background vocal here.

“Hum’s Liquor” is about The Replacements’ Bob Stinson. Stinson is a tragic figure in rock n roll. Hum’s is a liquor store I grew up near in Minneapolis and has its own tragic history. Bob’s little brother and fellow Replacement Tommy sings background.

“Where The Song Will Find Me” is a gorgeous ballad that suggests songs find you vs. you finding the songs. I believe this.

Closing an album is an art form. “Never Gonna Fade Away” is a great way to end an album. It is a triumphant and defiant proclamation, that despite life’s difficulties, the song’s protagonist will survive.

In Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart Lucinda’s lyrics are simple and the music is only rock n roll (but I like it). This might be the strongest vocal performance of her career – she is not fading away.

The album is currently not available on streaming services (however four singles are on streaming services). Unclear what her strategy is with this approach when most fans listen via streaming.

I love me some Jonathan Wilson. He is a producer (Father John Misty, Margo Price, Dawes, Angel Olsen, etc.), guitarist for hire (e.g. he is in Roger Waters’s touring band), a multi-instrumentalist (plays guitar, piano, drums, and keyboards on Eat the Worm), and a singer-songwriter (this is his fifth full-length studio album). His music is hard to describe, but I will use the phrase “psychedelic chamber pop.” Each album has a new plot twist. Eat the Worm is his weirdest yet. Per Wilson:

A lot of this batch of songs is a reaction to the production stuff that I do. I would be in the studio, doing long days with folks, and I’ll have some wild off-the-wall ideas and they’re like, ‘no, no, no, that sounds crazy, JW.’ So I would save them up for my album. I’m finally at place to feel totally free to take chances and resist the urge to dumb things down. It’s got to be kind of strange.

All of Wilson’s solo albums are ambitious, but Eat the Worm is his most ambitious yet. There are lots of complex arrangements. Usually, I dislike strings as they tend to make songs syrupy. But Wilson uses them expertly and they brilliantly upgrade the songs. Wilson has always had a Pink Floyd vibe to his music, even when he sprinkled Country Music pixie dust on Dixie Blur. Eat the Worm sounds less derivative of Pink Floyd. Wilson has really found his own voice and it is bizarre – in a good way.

I am going to focus on one song, “Charlie Parker,” which is representative of the album. Charlie Parker (nicknamed Bird) was an alto saxophonist who helped invent bebop jazz in the 1940s. He was a musical savant but also suffered from mental health issues and heroin addiction. He is the archetype of a troubled creative genius. When he died, the coroner cited pneumonia as the cause of death. The coroner estimated Parker’s age at fifty-five or sixty – he was only thirty-four.

When I saw this song title on Eat the Worm I wondered where will Wilson go with this? Will this be a jazz tune, will this be about THEE Charlie Parker, is this going to be about some other Charlie Parker, etc..

Well, it is barely about THEE Charlie Parker. Lyrically it is psychedelic: the narrator is taking a crap, Larry Bird was having a good night with the Celtics, and there are references to THEE Charlie Parker – including a nice sax solo. Per Wilson:

“‘Charlie Parker’ is one of my favorite songs on Eat the Worm. It’s a fantastical and fictitious flight of fancy and fantasy. It also touches on the ups and downs of my life over the past decade as a touring musician, and more. It’s filled with strings, horns, fuzzy guitars, tubular bells, and a few bebop elements as well, hence the name. In a way, ‘Charlie Parker’ encompasses what the new record is all about: adventure, fidelity and fun.”

This is a delightfully adventurous album. Not necessarily how I would introduce someone to Wilson (Rare Bird or Dixie Blur would be my recommendation), but a brilliant career progression. As a long-time Wilson fan, this is a very satisfying next chapter and a serious contender for my album of the year.

PS – this is an outstanding vinyl release. I have never seen this before on a non-audiophile release: “Vinyl Lacquer cut at 1/2 speed.” Beautiful sounding piece of wax. I love it when an artist takes care to do vinyl and doesn’t see it as just another piece of merch.

One more thing – after gathering my own thoughts above, I went and looked at what professionals had to say. My favorite is a perfect summary:

“Let’s call it an acquired taste then, best appreciated by those without any predispositions or expectations about what they’ll hear when they push play.”

HAL HOROWITZ

My record collection: CDs on the left, vinyl in the center, and playback equipment (AKA stereo) on the right.

I am having an existential crisis: as a musichead*, is my record collecting a cool hobby or a fetish? A few things got me thinking about this:

• The recent box set from the Replacements – Tim (Let It Bleed Edition) – more about that in a minute
• A tour of Copycats vinyl pressing plant
• Contemplating NFTs and owning digital assets
• Having two homes – my record collection is too big to be transporting across the country twice a year
• Being closer to death than birth (I turn 65 in January) and leaving my hoard of records behind for my heirs to deal with (inheritance or hassle?)
• Streaming, especially high-resolution streaming, is my preferred listening format

*A musichead is someone obsessed with listening to music and being knowledgeable about the music they listen to. In general, they are constantly discovering new music. Although they have a broad taste, they have a handful of artists they obsess about (see every show, listen to every recording, collect every recording, follow every spin-off, know every lyric, know all the gossip, etc.).

For most of my life being a musichead was synonymous with being a record collector. There were only two ways to listen to recorded music: on the radio and on records (vinyl, tape, or CD). Radio is not enough for a musichead, you need to buy physical media to satisfy your need: play what you want when you want, play artists that are not on the radio, etc.

Streaming allows you to be a musichead without owning physical media. My kids, who are in their 30s, are musicheads and they are not record collectors (they do have some LPs and legitimate turntables). Streaming makes it easier to be a musichead: it is portable and provides convenient access to an extensive catalog and immediate access to new releases. The downside of streaming is that most artists don’t get properly compensated, but most artists have never been compensated properly. At least the friction to get music in the ears of their fans is gone. I love streaming – especially high-resolution streaming – it is my primary way of listening to music.

When I toured Copycats, which is a new vinyl pressing plant outside of Minneapolis, I was struck by the fact that the decade-and-a-half vinyl renaissance is real enough that serious capital is being invested to meet the demand. Vinyl does not appear to be a fad. I personally contribute to this renaissance in that I mostly stopped buying CDs about 10 years ago and almost exclusively buy vinyl. However, 50% of LPs are sold to people who don’t even have access to the equipment to play them. Even a musichead and audiophile like me barely listens to vinyl.

When I saw that The Replacements were releasing a box set of their classic album Tim (one vinyl record and four CDs), I immediately started obsessing about acquiring it. I have original releases of Tim on CD and vinyl. I was super intrigued by the fact that there was an Ed Stasium remix of the album as the remix of Don’t Tell a Soul was so revelatory – I had to hear this new remix! New releases come out on Fridays at midnight Eastern time on streaming services. I listened to it as soon as it was available on Tidal Thursday at 11:00 PM (thus a high-resolution stream) and holy shit it is amazing! Now I had to own it!

I would legitimately listen to a vinyl edition of the Ed Stasium remix of Tim and I am sure it would sound amazing on my audiophile gear. However, I don’t need a CD of a new remaster of the original mix and I only need to hear the bonus material once or twice so I don’t need those CDs either. Do I need to pay $90 to possess a vinyl edition of the Ed Stassium Tim remix when 90% of the time I listen to it on streaming?

I am fascinated there is a market for various digital art (visual, music, etc.) where ownership is managed on the blockchain (non-fungible tokens – NFTs). I am starting to feel like my record collection is like a primitive NFT. Instead of my ownership being documented on the blockchain, it is “documented” by vinyl or a CD sitting on my shelf. Granted I can play those physical albums on my stereo – but I rarely do.

I am starting to feel like owning physical media is more of a fetish – I am obsessed with owning the physical object (e.g. the vinyl record) and yet I don’t need that object to listen to it. I mock people who spend money on digital assets like NFTs, but am I any better? I mock people who buy LPs and don’t have a turntable and buy the LP as a souvenir, but am I any better?

I can try to use the argument that buying physical is supporting the band, but bands don’t make that much off their recordings and I support other ways like concerts and merch. Plus I have a long history of supporting my artists (I have spent a small fortune on The Replacements for example).

Many people say that vinyl is the best way to appreciate music – it sounds the best. I would agree that with the right gear and a good pressing vinyl is the best. I have a nice audiophile setup to enjoy listening to vinyl. But that same setup is also optimized for high-resolution streaming. I would argue that high-resolution streaming rivals vinyl and – especially when the artists are recording and mastering in digital – thus the vinyl record is sourced from digital. So I am hard-pressed to argue that my audiophile taste demands that I listen to vinyl.

Most box set reissues are well done. The music is reinvigorated, great visual art and packaging, well-articulated liner notes, etc. In general, they are pricey, but there is value. They are nice collectibles, but they mostly just sit on the shelf.

I was recently reading an article in the New York Times by Denise LuWant with the headline: Enjoy Music More? Stop Streaming It. In the article, she says “I don’t like how streaming feels — like I’m only borrowing something for a while, rather than having a handpicked library of albums (digital or physical) that I’ve vetted and can keep forever.” I don’t feel the same way. So I return to the original question: is my record collecting a cool hobby or a fetish? Most days I choose not to think about it and just enjoy the grooves. I don’t like the possession obsession I get for recorded albums – it doesn’t seem healthy and has nothing to do with my love of music.

I have not come to a conclusion on record collecting: cool hobby vs. obsessive fetish. But I often come back to something my old general practitioner physician used to say to me: “If you love something, do less of it.” I take that to mean if you are obsessive about something, you don’t have to quit it, just back off a bit. So concerning vinyl, I am not going to commit to not buying anymore, but instead, I will cut back. For example, I am not going to buy the $90 Tim box. If someday it shows up as a single vinyl LP on Record Store Day, I will buy it. Buying the box at this point would be just a fetish. But buying an LP of an artist that I love and want to support, well that is a cool hobby.

My introduction to Charles Earland was his album Black Talk! (1969). In the fall of 2012 I was reading Michael Chabon’s Telegraph Avenue. Around that time Chabon had an essay in Rolling Stone where he talked about what he calls “backbeat jazz,” also known as soul and acid jazz. The essay totally validated my musical taste. He listed what he considers classics of the genre and Black Talk! was on his list. Since then I have purchased every Earland record I have found crate digging.

Soul Story is a collection of Earland originals and covers. Earland is an organ player who leans toward sophisticated yet funky arrangements. He has some beautiful sidemen on the album – the guitar and woodwinds are particularly tasty.

His cover of the schmaltzy movie theme “Love Story” is an excellent example of the Earland approach. He starts with a slow intro with Jimmy Vass’ flute vaguely stating the melody under a spooky vocal by Earland. It then slowly transitions to a guitar and organ vamp. Finally, the melody arrives with an entire band arrangement. The melody is then toyed with by various soloists. All the while Earland provides a funky foundation. He gives his own mighty solo too. The end result is a fancy and funky stew.

I dig Earland’s elaborate take on the 60s organ trio concept by expanding it with horns and percussion. This is a solid entry in the soul/acid jazz canon. Unfortunately, this album is not on streaming services

Tracklist
A1 Betty’s Dilemma 8:12
A2 Love Story 10:10
B1 One For Scotty 6:55
B2 My Scorpio Lady 2:20
B3 I Was Made For Love Her 2:50
B3 Happy Medium 4:10

Charles Earland – organ, vocals
Gary Chandler (tracks A1 & A2), Virgil Jones (tracks 3–6) – trumpet
Clifford Adams Jr. – trombone (tracks B1-3)
Jimmy Vass – flute, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone (tracks A1 & A2)
Arthur Grant – tenor saxophone, flute (tracks B1-3)
Houston Person – tenor saxophone (tracks A1 & A2)
Maynard Parker – guitar
Jesse Kilpatrick Jr. (tracks A1 & A2) and Billy “Kentucky” Wilson (tracks B1-3) – drums
Buddy Caldwell – congas, tambourine (tracks A1 & A2)
Arthur Jenkins – congas (tracks B1-3)

I enjoy crate digging. Crate digging is a term record collectors use to refer to record shopping in search of rare finds. Most of the time, I go to a record store to buy a record; I know they have in stock – typically a new release – that is not crate digging – that is just buying a record. That is satisfying, but not as satisfying as looking through a stack of records with nothing specific in mind and discovering something that catches your eye. It might be a thrift shop, a garage sale, the used record bins at a record store, or literally crates at a record show. A record show is an event where one or more record collectors and record vendors sell records, typically used records, at a specific location on a specific date.

One of my favorite record shows is the RockNRoll Music Sale – an occasional vinyl and CD garage sale that collector Jeffery Larson hosts in his garage and yard in Maple Grove, MN (a suburb of Minneapolis). Jeffery’s sale is particularly fun because he has a diverse inventory that is fairly priced. The recent popularity of vinyl has resulted in some absurdly high prices (gouging). Jeffery has many inexpensive records (including $1 records), but he also has true collectibles. The collectibles are costly, but fairly priced.

I recently found Chick Corea’s Sundance at the RockNRoll Music Sale for $3. I was not familiar with this LP but was attracted by some of the side men listed on the back, including Jack De Johnette (drums), Dave Holland (bass), Hubert Laws (flute, piccolo), Bennie Maupin (tenor saxophone – who was actually not listed but has a prominent role), and Woody Shaw (trumpet). The album (both the cover and the wax) was in decent condition. Per Discogs, the album is worth at least twice what I paid – if not more.

Once I got the record home, I learned it was originally recorded in 1969 but not released until 1972 on Groove Merchant (GM 2202). My LP is a 1974 re-release, also on Groove Merchant (GM 530), but with a different cover from the original.

It has an impressive lineup (as mentioned above and see personnel below), some of who, including Corea, was moonlighting from the Miles Davis band.

Per my internet research, the album comes from the same sessions that produced Is (1969 on Solid State). The album Is is free jazz, whereas Sundance is more traditional jazz, although it has free jazz moments. Blue Note reissued Is and Sundance as the Complete Is Sessions in 2002 as a double CD. It also includes alternate takes from the original recording sessions.

Chick Corea is one of the most important jazz-keyboardist and composers of his generation. Is and Sundance is early in his career when he was helping Miles Davis create his electric jazz fusion and developing his more acoustic sound (although Chick plays some electric piano on Is and Sundance, he is not playing fusion). These are two parallel paths (electric and acoustic). Chick would pursue the rest of his career. I particularly enjoy the “freer” styles here as this was not typical in his catalog, and frankly, he was good at it.

Another hallmark of Chick’s career was attracting great musicians – both famous and unknown. The star of this show, besides Chick, of course, is saxophonist Bennie Maupin, who is not even listed on the album credits. My guy Woody Shaw does not get much space here despite being credited. He only gets to strut his stuff on “Converge” and “Sundance,” but even there, it is in an ensemble role vs. a soloist. Laws is a major soloist on “Song Of Wind.” Dave Holland has a nice intro on “Sundance.”

As far as a $3 record, it is “crate digger’s gold.” The album is in excellent shape, the cover is good (except for the cut-out drill hole), and it is worth more than I paid. My next mission is to find its companion, If.

Personnel: Chick Corea (piano), Horace Arnold (drums), Jack De Johnette (drums), Dave Holland (bass), Hubert Laws (flute, piccolo), Bennie Maupin (tenor saxophone), Woody Shaw (trumpet). Produced by Sonny Lester; recording engineered by Malcolm Addey.

Sundance and Is are not on streaming; however, the compilation Complete Is Sessions is.

This is a live album from Dylan’s 1978 world tour (recorded February 28 & March 1 at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo). The album is his greatest hits, however, the performances are radically rearranged from the originals. I was reminded of Dylan’s habit of rearranging his songs while listening to the recent Shadow Kingdom LP. Budokan was an early lesson that tinkering is part of who Dylan is.

The Budokan LP was much maligned at the time and it was suggested it was Dylan as a Vegas show band. It was glitzy and over the top. Robert Christsau, self-proclaimed “Dean of American Rock Critics,” gave it a generous C+, but mockingly wrote:

I believe this double LP was made available so our hero could boast of being outclassed by Cheap Trick, who had the self-control to release but a single disc from this location

https://www.robertchristgau.com

I was a fairly new Dylan fan when I bought this album when it came out in the spring of 1979. I loved this album from day one for several reasons:

• It was a greatest hits (important given my meager record collection at the time)
• I liked the Springsteenish big band arrangements (I was a new Bruce fan at the time too)
• Dylan’s vocals are urgent and clear, the record sleeves had lyrics (although my copy had redundant sleeves of LP number one)
• It had a cool fold up poster that was on my various apartment walls for years (amazingly I slipped it back into the LP jacket back in the day and it is in decent shape).
• I love Dylan’s rock star look for this album: gaudy 70s clothes and eyeliner.

1978’s Street-Legal was recorded about a month after Budokan was recorded. The arrangements on Street-Legal were clearly influenced by the 1978 tour. Dylan has backup singers and a woodwind player on Budokan and there is similar instrumentation on Street-Legal.

The arrangements on Budokan foreshadow Dylan’s Christian period in that they have a gospel feel – especially the backup vocalists. In many cases, there is a drama in the performances that is atypical of Dylan. This is the Vegas feel that probably turned off some people to the album. I found it all breathtaking and exciting. Dylan engages in more stage banter than I have ever experienced in the many times I have seen him. I assume that Dylan felt compelled to compete against his label mate Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band on Budokan. There are grand arrangements similar to what the Boss was doing at the time including epic sax solos.

Here is a weird feature of the album: in the inside of the gatefold album cover, Dylan engages in some rare schmaltz:

The more I think about it, the more I realize what I left behind in Japan – my soul, my music and that sweet girl in the geisha house – I wonder does she remenber me? If the people of Japan wish to know about me, they can hear this record- also they can hear my heart still beating in Kyoto at the Zen Rock Garden – Someday I will be back to reclaim it.

Copyright @ 1978 Bob Dylan

Budokan is wonderfully outrageous and it prepared me well for the twists and turns that Dylan would continue to perform the rest of his career.

Budokan core band:

Tracklist

A1 Mr. Tambourine Man 4:53
A2 Shelter From The Storm 4:29
A3 Love Minus Zero/No Limit 3:53
A4 Ballad Of A Thin Man 4:44
A5 Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right 5:02
B1 Maggie’s Farm 5:02
B2 One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below) 3:18
B3 Like A Rolling Stone 6:30
B4 I Shall Be Released 4:04
B5 Is Your Love In Vain? 3:57
B6 Going, Going, Gone 3:55
C1 Blowin’ In The Wind 4:28
C2 Just Like A Woman 5:03
C3 Oh, Sister 4:43
C4 Simple Twist Of Fate 4:03
C5 All Along The Watchtower 3:18
C6 I Want You 2:34
D1 All I Really Want To Do 3:41
D2 Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door 4:01
D3 It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) 6:03
D4 Forever Young 5:27
D5 The Times They Are A-Changin’ 4:46

Ryan Adams is on tour with a new version of The Cardinals. He has released a live album (MP3 download) of highlights from the first leg (June 2023) free to fans (go to Pax Am for details). Typically, these Ryan Adams free albums have shown up on streaming services a couple of months later after the fan release if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of a download. However, this is an outstanding release worth the hassle of signing up, downloading to your computer, importing to iTunes, and syncing to your phone just to enjoy for a couple of months before the unwashed masses.

This version of The Cardinals is:

• Ryan Adams
• Brad Pemberton (longtime drummer with Ryan and Cardinals)
• Chris Stills (Stephen’s son – guitarist – and singer-songwriter in his own right and long-time collaborator of Ryan’s)
• Daniel Clarke (keys)
• Don Was (bass – record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker, radio host and since 2011, president of Blue Note Records – also a mentor of Ryan).

The Cardinals are Ryan Adams’ jam band persona. A latter iteration of the original band had guitarist Neal Casal (also in Chris Robinson Brotherhood and founder of Circles Around The Sun) who I thought was brilliant and irreplaceable. Unfortunately, he passed a few years ago. But this new iteration really works. This band captures the spirit of the original Cardinals: melodic, jammy without being tedious, and wonderful tunes.

No new tunes here, just a nice cross-section from several of the Cardinals’ albums. “Alive – Volume I” tracklist:

1. Cold Roses (from The Cardinals’ album of the same name)
2. Beautiful Sorta (from Cold Roses)
3. Dear Candy (from III/IV)
4. Kisses Start Wars (from III/IV)
5. Peaceful Valley (from Jacksonville City Nights)
6. Dear John (from Jacksonville City Nights)
7. Fix It (from Cardinology)
8. Games (from Jacksonville City Nights)
9. Magnolia Mountain (from Cold Roses)
10. A Kiss Before I Go (from Jacksonville City Nights)
11. Let It Ride (from Cold Roses)

This is a fantastic gift from Ryan and so great to hear him in this band format and in energetic live performances. As much as I love Ryan’s solo concerts, I love the band format even more. Highly recommended and the only downside is Ryan’s inane between-song banter, but that has always been part of the deal with Ryan.

I am a longtime fan of Jenny Lewis and her band Rilo Kiley, but her 2014 album The Voyager really caught my attention. It was my favorite album of that year. At the time I said referring to The Voyager:

“Great pop music is a combination of slick and subversive – it sucks you in like a Siren’s call. The Voyager is pure ear candy, yet there is a bitter pill is hiding under honey – this is a great pop album that will appeal to both young and old ears.”

Lewis has perfected that combination of slick and subversive in her latest Joy’All. This is brilliant adult pop/rock. Musically it is catchy and lyrically it has adult themes. The album title and lyrics imply that joy can be found everywhere in little and big things. Like her musical hero John Prine, Lewis tackles serious topics with a wink and a grin. This is a delightful album.

The album was produced by Dave Cobb in Nashville. There are country elements, but mostly this is pop-rock. In interviews, Lewis has suggested that she was inspired by Skeeter Davis (“The End of the World”) and Lewis is wearing a Davis stage costume on the cover. Overall this is not a deviation from Lewis’ catalog, just continued perfection with a dash of Nashville.