The New Barbarians “Buried Alive: Live in Maryland”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1054 in the Series and #38) is The New Barbarians, Buried Alive: Live in Maryland The band The New Barbarians was formed in 1979 as a means to promote Ron Wood’s most recent album Gimme Some Neck. The album was a minor success peaking at number 45 on the billboard charts and was the first to feature Wood’s own artwork on the album cover including a self-portrait. The band and the subsequent eighteen gig U.S. tour may have gone largely unnoticed were it not for the exceptional musicians that accompanied Wood on the tour. The stellar line-up included Ron Wood and Keith Richards on guitar, Stanley Clarke on bass, former Faces keyboardist Ian...
Jenny Lewis With the Watson Twins “Rabbit Fur Coat”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1051 in the Series) is Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat. I wasn’t familiar with Jenny Lewis when she appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Show a few years back. I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of her, since I was a little familiar with her band Rilo Kiley. I guess just not enough. I had just walked in the door, flipped on the TV as they took the stage on that Kimmel episode. I really liked what I was hearing. This was my sound. This was square in “my wheelhouse” to lean on a cliche. It was at the end of a day when I was in one of my “Gram Parsons moods” so her...
Mark Knopfler and EmmyLou Harris “Real Live Roadrunning”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1017 in the Series) is Mark Knopfler and EmmyLou Harris, Real Live Roadrunning. To this day, I can still kick myself for not seeing this tour. EmmyLou Harris and Mark Knopfler . This was 2006; I had just seen Mark in 2005. Yes, that was a fantastic show, but I decided I’d pass on this tour. Then I listened to the album. I should have known! Often if you miss an act’s tour, well, you can just catch the next one. This is why I’m so angered about missing this tour. I’m nearly positive that this was a one in a lifetime chance. Do we really expect that they’ll team up and...
Bob Dylan “Modern Times”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1007 in the Series) is Bob Dylan, Modern Times. About twelve years ago I had a chance to visit upstate New York on a business trip. My journey would start in Albany, continue day by day west. I’d spend a day in Utica, Syracuse, Rochester and eventually Buffalo. After l landed in Albany I met up with a few other ‘soon be’ friends that would make the same trip. When we arrived in Buffalo, ‘Tom’ jokingly suggested that next year, we should rent a Winnebago. We could all save on rental cars and hotel rooms. I added, ‘Yeah, we could call ourselves the Rolling Thunder Review!’ Of course we never did, even though...
Johnny Cash “American Recordings V: A Hundred Highways”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day is Johnny Cash, American Recordings V: A Hundred Highways The year was 1994, and it was not the best of times for Johnny Cash. His health, starting to fail from a series of illnesses and decades of hard living, was seemingly bringing “The Man in Black” much closer to the end than he was ready to admit. His latest major record label, Mercury Records had dropped him after one last commitment record, The Mystery of life, that was released in 1990 and included updated versions of “Hey Porter”, “Angel and the “Badman”, and “The Greatest Cowboy”, that were good simply because they are very good songs, but showed none of the outlaw grit...
Alexi Murdoch ‘Time Without Consequence’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#787 in the Series) is Alexi Murdoch, Time Without Consequence. Alexi Murdoch is a perfect example of the new paradigm music industry success story. He released a self produced EP Four Songs in 2002 on CDbaby.com, sold over 50,000 via download (CDbaby’s all time best seller) and started his own record label, Zero Summer. Time Without Consequence, released in 2006, is his first full album and includes three of the Four Songs from his start up EP. He’s been able to achieve international acclaim while turning down numerous offers from major record labels. Alexi’s voice is reminiscent of Nick Drake. He has the kind of control of his acoustic guitar that reminds me...
Jim Gaffigan “Beyond The Pale”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#690 in the Series) is Jim Gaffigan, Beyond the Pale I have always wondered why and how a comedy record would cost as much as a record by a musical artist; I mean you might listen to it a couple times, but rarely more than that right? Well, here is an exception and I believe an exceptionally funny album that I have played many times and even though I know what is coming next, I still find myself laughing out loud. The material is highly quotable and very much repeatable as he makes expert use of deadpan sarcasm. His observational comedy seems to have universal appeal and is spot on when it comes...
David Gilmour “On an Island”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#620 in the Series) is David Gilmour, On an Island I have never been one to think you had to choose between Roger Waters and David Gilmour. They were both part of the prime of cool bands and though it ended not as either wished, I recently saw a documentary that said they were both at peace about it. Gilmour said there were three versions of the band, one with Syd, one after Syd, and one after Roger. If I am forced to choose whose solo career I enjoy more, I choose Gilmour and it is largely due to this record. Waters of course has been much more prodigious, but my favorite...
The Little Willies “The Little Willies”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#533 in the Series) is the self-titled debut album from The Little Willies (Milking Bull/Parlophone Records) Have you ever heard an album well after it was released and wondered “How did I miss this one? This is right in my wheel-house.” No, I’m not talking about an artist that does not get any recognition. It happens all the time with them, some of them are even new acts. It’s easy to get turned onto them the first time years later. I’m talking about an artist that gets a nice amount of play, is on radio and in this case, even performed one of these tracks on late night TV. Well, the “better late...
Colin Hay “Are You Looking At Me”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#502 in the Series) is Colin Hay, Are You Looking At Me? One of the cool things about being a music fan is having good friends with whom you can play the “Trust me on this one” game. You know it; you probably played it and never even realized it. A good friend comes up to you and either hands you a CD, or a cassette or even good ol’ vinyl and says “Check this out” I think you’ll like it. You look at the title and try and hide your surprise when he or she hands you a title that you would never listen to on your own. In fact, you...
