Jerry Jeff Walker - Best Of The Vanguard Years
Of all the three-name Texas singer-songwriters, Jerry Jeff Walker has always mystified me. His progressive country recordings are mostly spotty and artistically self-destructive, hobbled by giddiness and a booze-addled delivery. The notorious Viva Terlingua! and Jerry Jeff Walker sound dated today, essential only to students of the hipneck revolution.
But
Eric Andersen - Blue River
As the '60s ebbed into unease and uncertainty, Eric Andersen cast a deadly, unveiled glance on his own life -- the drugs and the affairs, the dreams and the journeys -- ultimately turning his own spiritual and emotional desolations into an unconscious accounting of the whole decade. "I
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Vol II
As the '60s bled into the '70s, Bob Dylan evinced a growing discomfort with his persona. Whether fueled by the lingering effects of a near-fatal motorcycle accident, an increasing dissatisfaction with the masks of stardom, or a general sentiment in the air, the artist became obsessed with stripping
Charlie Walker - Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
It's a neat coincidence that this collection arrived on my doorstep just days after I heard that Procter & Gamble, maker of Charmin toilet paper, was going to resurrect Mr. Whipple, the long-retired character who pitched the brand. For those not old enough to remember, Mr. Whipple'
Bottle Rockets - Brand New Year
People stood in line to see Jeff Beck at South by Southwest this year. Maybe that should have been a sign. The next night, the Bottle Rockets took the stage in full Motorhead mode and tore off a 45-minute set of new songs.
Not the same as the old songs.
Joe South - Retrospect
A few years back I asked a critic friend if there was a good Joe South collection available on compact disc. No, came the expected reply, along with a partial explanation: When it comes to Joe South, "Yankees don't get it."
Yet back in 1969, South