James McMurtry – Too Long in the Wasteland
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#483 in the Series) is James McMurtry, Too Long in the Wasteland James McMurtry’s Too Long in the Wasteland hit the streets in 1989 with a huge push from Columbia Records, as it should have. This was one of the best records of the year, much less one of the best debut albums. You’re probably familiar with his story, but if you’re not, James is the son of long time writer Lawrence McMurtry. He being the 1985 Pulitzer Prize winning author of Lonesome Dove and many more familiar workings. So, tell me a little more about “Too Long in the Wasteland” you say. Well, it was produced by John Mellencamp… and you can...
The Kentucky Headhunters “Pickin’ On Nashville”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#452 in the Series) is The Kentucky Headhunters, Pickin’ On Nashville I guess you could put the Kentucky Headhunters in the ‘Guilty Pleasures’ category. I loved this album back in the day. It’s some good ol’ fashion, southern rock. The Kentucky Headhunters made quite a splash with Pickin’ on Nashville. After years of trying, they were an “overnight sensation. “ They consisted of two sets of brothers the Phelps, Rickie Lee and Doug, and the Young’s, Fred and Richard along with Greg Martin and Richard Ripani. One of the things I liked about the Headhunters was that they like to cover a tradition song every so often. Here they took Bill Monroe’s, “Walk...
The Blue Nile “Hats”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#447 in the Series) is The Blue Nile, Hats Walk into your local record store (a crazy, outdated notion, I know), search for a Blue Nile album and you’ll be directed to the Rock/Pop section which seems just wrong somehow. It’s a category that simply doesn’t feel right when applied to this band. They really should be filed under………well, I don’t know. Nothing seems right. What’s really needed for this album is a whole new category. “Emotional Beauty” maybe? Alongside “Astral Weeks” and the Nick Drake albums? What I do know is this: Hats is one of the most utterly gorgeous, late-night, heart stopping albums ever made. For many it had come from...
Fire Town “The Good Life”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#417 in the Series) is Fire Town, The Good Life It’s funny how you can really like an album, then over time completely forget about. Then all of a sudden, you see something catches your eye or you run across it in your collection and you jump up and it all comes back to you, and you wonder why you ever let it get away. For me, Fire Town, The Good LIfe is the perfect example of that. I really liked this release and then.. it was gone for years, but now it’s back. So who is Fire Town? Were you a fan of this great pop act back in the late 80s?...
XTC “Oranges and Lemons”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#327 in the Series) is XTC, Oranges and Lemons OK, I was looking at some of the members in our facebook group. I know that we have many people involved in radio. If you’re one, I have a question for you. How could “The Mayor of Simpleton” NOT have been a huge hit? It only reached #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. How could a music director get a copy of this song and decide, “No, we’re not going to play this track.” What the heck could they possibly be thinking? “The Mayor of Simpleton” is one of the most perfect pop songs ever written. If there is a track that...
Matthew Sweet “Earth”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#163 in the Series) is Matthew Sweet, Earth. It’s time for me to go a little obscure with the blog once again. After all, I think that’s what sets us apart. It’s amazing when I look back at my ‘yute’ and think about how many unheard of bands I liked, that hit on their next release. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say that I was any kind of ‘A+R’ guy that just didn’t happen to be an ‘A+R’ guy. The reason for most of this success in coming was that I had an unfair advantage. Being a music distributor, I was often given promo copies of new music that I...
