First of all, I must say that it's to the credit of the record company to release this treasure. Country music and related genrés aren't that fashionable, but to us who love the music, some of the best records are only available on old original vinyl that cost a zillion bucks. To release this album is therefor an act of charity to all of us who love the music but can't afford the vinyl.
Musically, this is pre-bluegrass American folk music. If bluegrass is rooted in black, as well as white, musical traditions, this leaves out the banjo, which is an African instrument originally, as well as the more bluesy escapades in favor of acoustic guitars and a mad fiddle.With these instruments, Grayson & Whitter plays American folk deeply rooted in Celtic tradition with some other European influences to it too. Sometimes, I can almost feel a Scandinavian touch.
What I like about this band is that hey took lyrical writing seriously. You got songs dealing with a load of deep subjects country artists of today dare not touch. On the other hand, music was the CNN of times past, you got news as well as entertainment from the musicians.
Most of all, however, this is music made to dance to. It's almost a pity that music with that energy as this and as danceable to as this, has for so long been the treasure of vinyl nerds.
You can sense from the recording that Grayson & Whitter had fun recording it, as they talk to each other backwards and forwards over the tracks, a couple of "yee-haws" and "pass the bottle".
In case you haven't noticed, I really like this album and if you like old American folk too, you're probably going to like this as well.
An old treasure being returned to the audience gets 83,7% in rate of satisfaction!
Friday 10 February 2012
Thursday 9 February 2012
Gillian Welch, "The harrow & the harvest"
Two things I want to have said before I begin reviewing this record proper.
I went to my favourite local record store, Folk Å Rock in Malmö, yesterday. I picked up some Louvin brothers stuff, as well as some banjo pickers from the 1920's. The geezer in the record store has started to recognise me and shares my taste in music and sometimes comes with small advices when it comes to music. "Do you like the Carter family?", he asked. "I do, I replied." "Have you heard Gillian Welch?". I hadn't, so he put the record The harrow & the harvest on. I liked it enough to buy it. Before I bought it, he said he reckoned they continue the legacy of the Carter family and I can, after having listened to it a zillion times yesterday and today, see where he was coming from.
Anyway, I brought the record to work today and almost everyone at work liked it. A colleague of mine looked at the sleeve, she's a bit older than me, and asked when it was from. "From 2011", I replied. She was gobsmacked, she thought the sleeve art, as well as the tunes oozed of the flower generation and I can see where she was coming from too.
In fact, this album has one foot in both worlds. A bit of it is rooted in old American folk from the 20's and 30's, another bit of it is, but in a good way, something my old hippie mate Charli would like.
In case you haven't noticed yet, I think this is pretty much the best record I've bought for ages. I rank it just beneath Townes Van Zandt, who is impossible to outdo, although miss/mrs Welch comes pretty close.
What I like in it is that it has that melancholic, laidback southern folk feel to it that you get from Swedish folk as well. You won't jump with joy from hearing it, that's true. But on the other hand, I think melancholic music has that quality to it that you start to think how good your life really is and makes you thankful to God for all the blessings He has given you.
This record is recorded in the old way, no drums, no electrics, no sampling, no fancy stuff, just acoustic guitars, banjo, harmonica and hand clappings. And loads of songs sung in harmony. In fact, miss/mrs Welch only has one back up musician, but they do their stuff like a whole orchestra when it comes to quality. The only thing I think this record could be missing is perhaps a fiddle and some mandolins. But, though the inclusion of those two instruments could've highten the feeling to the album, I don't miss them really that much.
As I said, this is the best record I've picked up for years. There is no bad track on it, they all stand out in quality and I'm convinced that it will be remembered in the American folk scene for ages and I wish the artists success and that they play Sweden. Only criticism I have of it is that some tunes, most notably The way the whole thing ends, goes on for too long.
A great, almost perfect, album like this gets 96,1% in rate of satisfaction!
I went to my favourite local record store, Folk Å Rock in Malmö, yesterday. I picked up some Louvin brothers stuff, as well as some banjo pickers from the 1920's. The geezer in the record store has started to recognise me and shares my taste in music and sometimes comes with small advices when it comes to music. "Do you like the Carter family?", he asked. "I do, I replied." "Have you heard Gillian Welch?". I hadn't, so he put the record The harrow & the harvest on. I liked it enough to buy it. Before I bought it, he said he reckoned they continue the legacy of the Carter family and I can, after having listened to it a zillion times yesterday and today, see where he was coming from.
Anyway, I brought the record to work today and almost everyone at work liked it. A colleague of mine looked at the sleeve, she's a bit older than me, and asked when it was from. "From 2011", I replied. She was gobsmacked, she thought the sleeve art, as well as the tunes oozed of the flower generation and I can see where she was coming from too.
In fact, this album has one foot in both worlds. A bit of it is rooted in old American folk from the 20's and 30's, another bit of it is, but in a good way, something my old hippie mate Charli would like.
In case you haven't noticed yet, I think this is pretty much the best record I've bought for ages. I rank it just beneath Townes Van Zandt, who is impossible to outdo, although miss/mrs Welch comes pretty close.
What I like in it is that it has that melancholic, laidback southern folk feel to it that you get from Swedish folk as well. You won't jump with joy from hearing it, that's true. But on the other hand, I think melancholic music has that quality to it that you start to think how good your life really is and makes you thankful to God for all the blessings He has given you.
This record is recorded in the old way, no drums, no electrics, no sampling, no fancy stuff, just acoustic guitars, banjo, harmonica and hand clappings. And loads of songs sung in harmony. In fact, miss/mrs Welch only has one back up musician, but they do their stuff like a whole orchestra when it comes to quality. The only thing I think this record could be missing is perhaps a fiddle and some mandolins. But, though the inclusion of those two instruments could've highten the feeling to the album, I don't miss them really that much.
As I said, this is the best record I've picked up for years. There is no bad track on it, they all stand out in quality and I'm convinced that it will be remembered in the American folk scene for ages and I wish the artists success and that they play Sweden. Only criticism I have of it is that some tunes, most notably The way the whole thing ends, goes on for too long.
A great, almost perfect, album like this gets 96,1% in rate of satisfaction!
Friday 3 February 2012
Super Bowl and Taylor Swift
Lately, I've been listening manically to Taylor Swift's tune Ours. Last time I utterly enjoyed pop culture that much was when Amy Winehouse exploded onto the public space in 2006 or whenever that was.
Now, don't you call me a dirty old man. I ain't that old for starters and I am not that attracted to her anyway. It's her music I like. I think her performance of the song Ours at the 2011 CMAs stood out enormously and it reminded me of a young version of another favourite female vocalist of mine, namely Emmylou Harris.
I am definitely going to check out more stuff by miss Swift and you should too if you haven't already.
Are you going to watch the Super Bowl this year, dear reader? I think I am going to make a try at it with loads of coffee. As I live in Sweden, television coverage here doesn't start untill midnight. Luckily, I work afternoons/evenings and can start working at 2.30 pm, so I should be able to watch and still catch some sleep.
My favourite team in the NFL is the Steelers and, as you probably know already, they ain't playing. I'm left with the choices of the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. As a former skinhead and as someone who still got the straight edge, I have always liked Boston cos of the great straight edge hardcore bands that have come from that city. I freakin love the band Slapshot. And the FUs. So, it's the Pats for me this Sunday night (or, technically, Monday morning).
Whoever wins and whoever you're a fan of, let's hope for a good, clean, game and a sportsman's spirit from both teams. Here in Sweden, you wouldn't be able to have a game of that magnitude with two archrivals like the Giants and the Pats without hooliganism and policemen everywhere.
I might have a few non alcoholic beers too and some snacks.
And oh, on Tuesday, I'm off to get a tattoo.
Now, don't you call me a dirty old man. I ain't that old for starters and I am not that attracted to her anyway. It's her music I like. I think her performance of the song Ours at the 2011 CMAs stood out enormously and it reminded me of a young version of another favourite female vocalist of mine, namely Emmylou Harris.
I am definitely going to check out more stuff by miss Swift and you should too if you haven't already.
Are you going to watch the Super Bowl this year, dear reader? I think I am going to make a try at it with loads of coffee. As I live in Sweden, television coverage here doesn't start untill midnight. Luckily, I work afternoons/evenings and can start working at 2.30 pm, so I should be able to watch and still catch some sleep.
My favourite team in the NFL is the Steelers and, as you probably know already, they ain't playing. I'm left with the choices of the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. As a former skinhead and as someone who still got the straight edge, I have always liked Boston cos of the great straight edge hardcore bands that have come from that city. I freakin love the band Slapshot. And the FUs. So, it's the Pats for me this Sunday night (or, technically, Monday morning).
Whoever wins and whoever you're a fan of, let's hope for a good, clean, game and a sportsman's spirit from both teams. Here in Sweden, you wouldn't be able to have a game of that magnitude with two archrivals like the Giants and the Pats without hooliganism and policemen everywhere.
I might have a few non alcoholic beers too and some snacks.
And oh, on Tuesday, I'm off to get a tattoo.
Thursday 2 February 2012
Dwight Yoakam, "Live from Austin TX"
This is actually a boxed set of one cd and one dvd of live material from what was once, back in the 1980's, a popular American tv show.
At the moment, I haven't listened to the live cd, only watched and utterly enjoyed the dvd. I'm sure I'll put the cd in my record player one time or another in the future, but at the moment I don't see the point, as it's the same material on the cd as it is on the dvd.
This vid is from a performance given in October 1988. Dwight was still new to the game, though he had released some records and consequently, this vid is full of his 80's hits we all love, groundbreaking as they was when he first came into popularity.
Dwight has a voice quite similar, I think, to Pd Heaton of British 80's pop act The Housemartins, a bit soft, one could say. This means I have trouble hearing his stage talk in between the numbers, but I'm sure he's much more confident belting out his hits than he is talking to people. He's also got those wild dance moves one has come to associate with him.
It is with difficulty one must pick the best tunes on this, cos it's full of lovely ones. I, however, think he made a wise decision in saving two of my faves for the encore, they really are some of the best he's ever sung.
One song that must be mentioned though is the classic Streets of Bakersfield, on which Dwight calls in some support from another country vocalist. I won't tell you whom, but I'm sure you can guess! ;-)
This is a good dvd and I'd recommend it, not just to Dwight's die hard fans, but also to country fans in general and to people into 80's country music in particular, cos he was one of the most important newcomers back in the days and he's still a master musician.
A good, although not perfect vid like this gets 73,7% in rate of satisfaction.
At the moment, I haven't listened to the live cd, only watched and utterly enjoyed the dvd. I'm sure I'll put the cd in my record player one time or another in the future, but at the moment I don't see the point, as it's the same material on the cd as it is on the dvd.
This vid is from a performance given in October 1988. Dwight was still new to the game, though he had released some records and consequently, this vid is full of his 80's hits we all love, groundbreaking as they was when he first came into popularity.
Dwight has a voice quite similar, I think, to Pd Heaton of British 80's pop act The Housemartins, a bit soft, one could say. This means I have trouble hearing his stage talk in between the numbers, but I'm sure he's much more confident belting out his hits than he is talking to people. He's also got those wild dance moves one has come to associate with him.
It is with difficulty one must pick the best tunes on this, cos it's full of lovely ones. I, however, think he made a wise decision in saving two of my faves for the encore, they really are some of the best he's ever sung.
One song that must be mentioned though is the classic Streets of Bakersfield, on which Dwight calls in some support from another country vocalist. I won't tell you whom, but I'm sure you can guess! ;-)
This is a good dvd and I'd recommend it, not just to Dwight's die hard fans, but also to country fans in general and to people into 80's country music in particular, cos he was one of the most important newcomers back in the days and he's still a master musician.
A good, although not perfect vid like this gets 73,7% in rate of satisfaction.
Watch this space!
I appologize for the fact that I haven't updated my blog for a while, but be rest assured, updates are coming. I've got plenty of stuff to review, it's just that Christmas time means a lot to people in general and even more to people like me, who's got the Church for an employer. I simply haven't had time so far, but in a couple of days, there'll be some stuff up here.
Another reason for not having updated my blog for a while is the fact that someone in my family has fallen seriously ill and I believe in miracles, hence, if you believe in Christ, please pray for Jon's (that's me) sick relative. I'd appreciate it.
Another reason for not having updated my blog for a while is the fact that someone in my family has fallen seriously ill and I believe in miracles, hence, if you believe in Christ, please pray for Jon's (that's me) sick relative. I'd appreciate it.
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