part two (part 1 here) of a never ending saga of new-to-me-music that blared through my speakers in May.
My Morning Jacket It Still Moves
2003 release. Fits right into my current stupor, and into my recent mid-70s Neil Young universe. Tenor vocals, lots of reverb, and I think I can play the chord progression too. Not desert island disc material, but quite good.
Shane MacGowan's Pope's Across the Broad Atlantic
Perturbed that I could not see the Pogues reunion tour,
But it was Mr. MacGowan who owned the best moments, with his lurching growl, especially in “Dirty Old Town,” where the audience sang along through all four image-rich verses about kissing a girl by the factory wall and smelling the spring on the smoky wind. Turning words into syrup, he said a few unintelligible things between songs — something about Americans, something about Truman Capote and Jimmy Breslin. He drank on stage. But he appeared not to miss a word of a song.I picked this album up, from 2002. (Chicago) Sage's description left in the comments to the post referenced echoed in my cranium: quite easy to visualize Mr. MacGowan slouched against his microphone while his band plays his songs. This particular album is a live album, the missteps are left intact, but the emotion is certainly here. If you are a Pogues fan as I am, this album is worth a listen. If not? Hmmm. Not quite as nimble of a backing band as the Pogues, and Mr. MacGowan is certainly an acquired taste, his intoxicated slur is quite pronounced here. His lyrics can bring a tear to my eye, but I may not be a typical listener. Still kick myself for missing the Pogues tour in the late 80s - I was too drunk to go. Sadly appropriate, yet sad nonetheless.
Coup Pick a Bigger Weapon
I always like when a CD emulates a vinyl record.
And I'm here to laugh, love, fuck and drink liquor. And help the damn revolution come quicker.
I am no expert on rap music: my unfettered delight ended with Public Enemy and KRS-One et al, but this album rocks. Plus there is a song called Baby-Lets-have-a-Baby-before-Bush-Do-Something-Crazy. Amen. Well, except for the procreation part. I've been scrap-free up until now, lets keep this smoke intact, in tacit approval. Uhh, if i can live my life without leaving a trace, I'll be a'right. Not to mention the song, Head of State, which begins,
Bush and Hussein together in bed
giving H-E-A-D:head
y'all mutafuckers heard what we said
Billions made and millions dead
and goes on to describe Poppy Bush's tenure in the CIA, and Standard Oil's plan for gassing the Kurds, yadda yadda, leading to Iran.
I think The Coup is one of us.
Oh yeahhh.
Shane MacGowan Crock of Gold
Apparently not available in the US, worth owning.
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