Live Oak Blues What happens.

Year Three of my personal mission to combat musical ADD is in the rearview, and here are the results.

To review, my rules were as follows:

1. Listen to the entire album in one sitting, no matter how painful that may become
2. Pay attention
3. Record the listening date, rating, and a brief review of each album

The Good

• Paul Westerberg’s Solo Work—The release of the masterful “Trouble Boys” bio triggered a comprehensive trip through the Replacements catalog for me–and a first-time encounter with (most of) the solo work of Paul Westerberg. Gobsmacked. His songs left me speechless more times than I can count, especially “Stereo” and “Suicaine Gratification.” He is our generation’s finest songwriter.
• Swamp Dogg!—Mix Bill Withers, Blowfly, Marvin Gaye, and John Prine together and you may approach the sublime alchemy that is Swamp Dogg. Heard of him, but had never listened to him. Pick any of his records, especially the ones in the 70s, and you’re in for a great ride.
• Belle and Sebastian—I’ve completely dismissed this band for years. On what evidence? None. Because if I had actually listened to any of their records, whatever misgivings would have quickly disappeared. Stuart Murdoch is a peerless pop songwriter, and I’ve literally not heard a bad record from them. “If You’re Feeling Sinister” and “The Boy With The Arab Strap” are the best places to start. Everything But The Girl and The Smiths had a wunderkind and it is named Belle & Sebastian.
• Erasmos Carlos, “Carlos, Erasmo…”—I’m a huge fan of Tropicalia, but had never encountered this gem from 1971. Erasmos Carlos was right in the center lane of the zeitgeist on this one. This record and Os Mutantes’ first are the ones I’d give to anyone interested in Tropicalia (and you should be interested).
• Sagittarius, “Present Tense”—Sagittarius was the Gorillaz of its day (1968): an elusive ensemble whose existence was entirely in the studio. It was never really a band, though its members included Glen Campbell and Bryan Johnston, but for one moment it caught the sweetest tendencies of psych and put out a perfect record.
• Hoosier Hotshots—I picked up this compilation off Discogs on a lark and it has been in regular rotation ever since. Marketed as a musical comedy ensemble in the 1930s, these guys played the tightest Country/Jazz I’ve ever heard, and with mindblowing virtuosity. A blast from start to finish.

The Bad

• Dylan as Sinatra—No mas por favor.
• Roxy Music—I’ve tried so many times to understand their appeal, and I’ve now stopped trying.
• Post-Short People Randy Newman—When your early stuff is so great, there will always be an inevitable drop off. But that does not explain the self-parody of Newman’s LA years.