MUSIC THREAD

It's worth it. But I did wait a few days before buying Love and Theft. I bought Modern Times on iTunes ten minutes after they put it on there. Couldn't wait any longer. My girlfriend thought I was crazy.

 

Two other classics from Robert Earl Keen are "Fourth of July" (some might be more familiar with the Dave Alvin cover) and "Merry Christmas from the Family"

Although REK wrote "Road Goes on Forever" I associate it more with another great Texas musician - Joe Ely.

Another great Texas singer-songwriter worth checking out is Slaid Cleaves. He's my favorite next to Bruce - I even skipped a Bruce concert at Giants Stadium to see Slaid in a tiny club. Make your first Slaid album Wishbones or Broke Down. His latest album Unsung is great, but it's all covers, whereas Wishbones and Broke Down are nearly all Slaid originals.

 

FWIW, Keen's version of "Fourth of July" is the cover. Dave Alvin wrote it when he replace Billy Zoom in X; X released the original version on "See How We Are," and Dave Alvin later recorded it himself. GREAT song.

 

Joe is the man (just wish he'd come up here once in a while). The Highwaymen (Cash, Willie etc.) do a cool version of that song too.

 

The X version, the original, is one of my favorite songs, period.

REK's nasal monotone is awful.

 

But which version of "Dallas" do you like better? Joe solo or Joe with the Flatlanders?

 

The live one from Live at Liberty Lunch.

 

Another of my favorite songs is Joe Ely's cover of Tom Russell's "Gallo del Cielo," one of the best story songs ever written.

 

I'll have to go back and listen to that album again - then compare it to the version on Live at Antone's.

 

I love Joe's version of that too. I think that was the song I was listening to when my father walked into the room, heard it and became a Joe Ely fan.

 

In the "Where the hell did this come from?" dept., Cheap Trick's new one, Rockford, is a terrific album. I liked a couple of songs I heard on Little Steven's Underground Garage and went in search of the album. Not up there with their pre-Budokan studio albums, but a great collection of power pop songs.

 

Cheap Trick is always worthwhile ... OK, except The Flame, that was lame ... but Bun E. Carlos still kicks ass! The band was also on Conan in the last month or so and they were awesome.