Son of JayJamJah

Ashes to Ashes: A reintroduction to my personal music library

As I have shared with a select few of you, recently tragedy struck my personal life when my home caught on fire destroying our library and den all my PC’s and Stereo equipment and years of books collected and received as gifts. Also my entire digital music library was destroyed and I am forced to slowly piece a nearly 50,000 song collection back together.
So as a way for me to occupy my mind in the wake of this misfortune and to help speed up the process of reorganizing and cataloguing my music online I’ll be adding entries\reviews relating to specific albums as they get there first listen on my new PC in new digital format. The is no ranking, ordering, organizing within the reviews, they really won’t even be reviews in the traditional sense, just a stream of consciousness reaction to the music as I take it in again for the first time.
Thanks in advance and as always reaction, comments, critique and feedback are welcomed and encouraged from the Music Banter community.

Thread Index:

#1 Dig Lazarus Dig - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - page 1
#2 Fevers and Mirrors - Bright Eyes - page 1
#3 Beggars Banquet - The Rolling Stones - page 1
#4 Fight for Your Mind - Ben Harper - page 2
#5 four - Blues Traveler - page 2
#6 Tomorrow The Green Grass - The Jayhawks - page 3
#7 Boston - Boston - page 3
#8 Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul - Otis Redding - page 3
#9 Doolittle - The Pixies - page 4
#10 Morning View - Incubus - page 4
#11 Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan - page 4
#12 For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver - page 5
#13 Paris 1919 - John Cale - page 5
#14 Transformer - Lou Reed - page 5
#15 Loaded - The Velvet Underground - page 6
#16 Camper Van Beethoven - Camper Van Beethoven - page 6
#17 The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan - page 6
#18 Bookends - Simon and Garfunkel - page 6
#19 Consolers of the Lonley - The Raconteurs\Saboteurs - page 6
#20 Tommy - The Who - page 6
#21 Comfort Eagle - Cake - page 6
#22 Way To Normal - Ben Folds - page 7
#23 The Exciting Wilson Pickett - Wilson Pickett - page 7
#24 Gimmie Some Lovin' - The Spencer Davis Group - coming soon

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Me, Myself and I United as One

If you're posting in the music forums make sure to be thoughtful and expressive, if you're posting in the lounge ask yourself "is this something that adds to the conversation?" It's important to remember that a lot of people use each thread. You're probably not as funny or clever as you think, I know I'm not.

My Van Morrison Discography Thread

Son of JayJamJah

Album #1: Dig Lazarus Dig (2008)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Genre: Post Punk
Dedicated to MB Member: Jackhammer

• "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"
• "Today's Lesson"
• "Moonland"
• "Night of the Lotus Eaters”
• "Albert Goes West"
• "We Call Upon the Author”
• "Hold on to Yourself"
• "Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl)"
• "Jesus of the Moon”
• "Midnight Man"
• “More News From Nowhere"

From the hypnotic title line that welcomes you to the controlled chaos that is this gem of an album; the unorthodox and unforgiving manner in which Cave delivers the endlessly intriguing and metaphorical lyrics of the song set a new standard for cool. The song’s energy is infectious and you’re instantly pulled into the albums soothing abyss of sound. Flash forward to the subsequent track and you’ll feel like mercury in thermometer rising and falling at an unrealistic pace. With a catchy, free spirited chorus and a straight and narrow diversion of a verse placed in between, the song’s drama builds as the tempo and fullness of the music coincides.
What works so well about this album is the thoughtful nature of each track; there are several layers which allow you to discover new elements you enjoy on almost every listen. The lyrics are fascinating and funny and beyond hip. Moonland is the real tantalizer of the bunch; an apocalyptic march with a heart of gold. “…It must feel nice…” The song just sort of shrugs its way along leaving the listener helplessly bobbing his or her head. The entire album oozes style and this song is no exception, with dramatic showmanship and a remarkable understanding of rhythm it’s the mellow highlight of the album for me. The eerie ode that follows, “Night of the Lotus Eaters” is a wraithlike waltz on muscle relaxers. Humming its way from stanza to stanza it soothes and stings simultaneously throughout. The album has a fairly good flow, especially considering its eclectic nature, this is demonstrated as the album moves through the fifth and six tracks some of the most energetic mixes of the bunch. The outro to “Albert Goes West” is great and “We Call Upon the Author” is a brilliant bastard of a song. Just fascinating from the first note, the song mixes instruments, ideas and ingenuity never before combined. It’s like being raped by the 1980’s using Fonzie’s leather jacket as a condom. Cave just sort of throws the lyrics onto the canvas of music; we even get to meet Doug in this song.

“Bukowski was a jerk! Berryman was best! He wrote like wet paper Mache, went the Heming-way weirdly on wings and with maximum pain”

“Prolix! Prolix! Nothing a pair of scissors can't fix!”

Before you can catch your breath you’re supplanted into the Wild West and feverish philosophy. “Hold on (to yourself)” is the song Chris Isaac wishes he was smart and talented enough to have recorded 15 years ago. The melody is mesmerizing and exotic and the lyrics and desperate and delicate the combination is overwhelming and propels the song into the albums top half. Next up is the energetic and jumpy time warp “Lie Down here and be My Girl”, a sort of afterthought for me, but easy to listen to amongst the mass of the album. When you first hear “Jesus of the Moon” you know it’s good, but its mastery is the way it evolves throughout. There is a psychedelic element amongst mundane rhythm and crisp execution. Hauntingly elegant with a flawless style and endless grace a near perfect penultimate number. “Midnight Man” is the penultimate and sets the bar with confidence and precision. You might find this song playing in your head in the middle of a jewel heist, I don’t know, I get that feel. “More news from nowhere” plays appropriately like a closing credits dubbed over with a synth track cut from a late 1980’s Cure album. More beguiling lyrical precision and free spirited feeling encapsulate this song and really the album as a whole. This album is an example or intelligent direction, sophisticated planning and passionate execution. It was my intro into Nick Cave in album form, as I had previously only sampled his soundtrack contributions. It’s a fantastic product and the first one I reached for when I decided to start this project.

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Me, Myself and I United as One

If you're posting in the music forums make sure to be thoughtful and expressive, if you're posting in the lounge ask yourself "is this something that adds to the conversation?" It's important to remember that a lot of people use each thread. You're probably not as funny or clever as you think, I know I'm not.

My Van Morrison Discography Thread

Piss Me Off

A future classic? I seriously haven't heard anything negative about this album at all.

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Fruitonica

I think it well could be, it's one of those albums that starts off sounding good and then manages to grow on you more with every listen.

This is looking to be a very interesting thread. Sorry to hear about the fire...

RoemerMW

That sucks. If you need any help re-obtaining certain albums, I'd be more than glad to help.

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My Music Collection

Bulldog

Great review JJJ, and easily my favourite album of the year (from what I've heard of the rest anyway). Looking forward to some more updates man

Son of JayJamJah

Album #2: Fevers and Mirrors (2000)
Bright Eyes
Genre: Indie Folk
Dedicated to MB Member: Crowquill\Sleepy Jack

1. "A Spindle, a Darkness, a Fever, and a Necklace"
2. "A Scale, a Mirror, and Those Indifferent Clocks"
3. "The Calendar Hung Itself..."
4. "Something Vague"
5. "The Movement of a Hand"
6. "Arienette”
7. "When the Curious Girl Realizes She Is Under Glass"
8. "Haligh, Haligh, a Lie, Haligh"
9. "The Center of the World"
10. "Sunrise, Sunset"
11. "An Attempt to Tip the Scales"
12. "A Song to Pass the Time"

Quite simply some of the most emotionally consuming music I’ve ever come across. Connor Oberst can seem as naïve and innocent as a child as a ferocious and ominous as any audible evil. Each song is in some way an expulsion of emotion personified best by the painstaking vocal patterns that catapult the listener through chaos within each narrative, each melody, each measure. The first third of the album is a wonderfully orchestrated progression culminating with the absolutely flawless “Something Vague” A song so moving in its simple familiarity and conviction driven delivery as to bring one to tears. It’s not that the lyrics are great, it’s just a wonderful way of arranging words to tell a story that takes so much longer then 3 and a half minutes,
That is one of the inherent qualities of the album that has always intrigued me. Each song is so effective at reaching you and forcing you tolerate or tune out. Very powerful but easy music. The middle third of the album opens with “The Movement of a Hand” which has a precious and proverbial chorus that finds its way into your subconscious and digs in. The album has hit its stride at this point, it’s impossible to tell if this is done with intent, but it’s a common theme within good albums; the momentum intensifies and resides with the ebb and flow of the music at just the right times. The peak of the album is probably tracks seven and eight as Oberests’ most personally cathartic performance "When the Curious Girl Realizes She Is Under Glass” a two verse explosion of a song gives way to “Haligh, Haligh, a lie, Haligh” maybe the most mass-appeal number on the album and a very easy song to enjoy. It has elements of the emotional first half plus of the album and still a hint of a bit more polish and attention to detail without sacrificing honesty or conviction.
It didn’t take many listens for me to develop an interest in this album. I’ve pretty much enjoyed it from the start; still I’ve can’t say I’ve ever really understood the final third of this album. There is a sort of distant ballad of a song within foreshadowing elements of the bands future direction, a gentle but eerie almost sinister number in “Sunrise Sunset”, a sweet little song with a mock interview that I can’t even begin to understand and a distorted closing number that seems to have little or nothing to do with anything. Still I enjoy it externally as the music is irresistible to people like me who have always been drawn to simple raw acoustic guitar driven music. I like this album a lot more then most of you’d probably expect.

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Me, Myself and I United as One

If you're posting in the music forums make sure to be thoughtful and expressive, if you're posting in the lounge ask yourself "is this something that adds to the conversation?" It's important to remember that a lot of people use each thread. You're probably not as funny or clever as you think, I know I'm not.

My Van Morrison Discography Thread

Son of JayJamJah

Album #3: Beggars Banquet (1968)
The Rolling Stones
Genre: Blues\Rock
Dedicated to MB Member: Urban Hatemonger

1. "Sympathy for the Devil"
2. "No Expectations"
3. "Dear Doctor"
4. "Parachute Woman"
5. "Jigsaw Puzzle"
6. "Street Fighting Man"
7. "Prodigal Son"
8. "Stray Cat Blues"
9. "Factory Girl"
10. "Salt of the Earth"

Sometime around my 10th birthday I decided I liked the Beatles better then the Rolling Stones then I listened to this album in 1972 and changed my mind for like two years. Still this album has left an indelible mark on me and still stimulates my subconscious, mind and memory and gets my toes a tappin’. Starting out with Sympathy for the devil, still the Stones best song in my opinion; with great lyrics, energy and musical arrangement, plus several signature riffs it’s a great example of the Rolling Stones are their most primitive blues heavy best. I feel like I’m a part of that song when I listen to it, being hypnotized by the howling background singer’s continuous cry and the guitars surly screech and scream. It’s one of the quickest seven minute songs in rock and as good as it is the following less revered track “No Expectations” is only slightly less satisfying and even more melodic and relaxing. As the bluesy acoustic guitar riffs lift my spirits, Jagger snarls on with sorrowful conviction. This slow country blues ballad is a staple of most Rolling Stones comp CD’s\Tapes I’ve made for students in the past. The acoustic blues formula is all over this album especially the remainder of side one; especially Dear Doctor the following number. A true blues standard style and a Sympathy for the Devil mirror finalize the first side of the record in frightful fashion and it has you hooked.

The second half of the album opens with another popular Stones hit, “Sympathy for the Devil” an energetic exclamation of youthful rebellion and energetic aspirations. Everyone dipped their song writing pens in the political protest ink in this era and the Stones were no exception; this song is the album flag of rebellion helping cement the group’s edgy reputation. There is something comforting about the blues and when mixed with a little getty-up like “Prodigal Son” it can become a very fun and free style of music with a wonderful sense of humour within. Almost every song on this album has a great opening, and “Stray Cat Blues” might be the best, grabbing you from the first note it’s another simple song, simply brilliant of course. Chalk this one up to Occams Razor yet again, simplicity is a wonderful asset in a band and when combined with humility and dedication this is the result. “Factory Girl” comes on next and I find myself remembering August 1983 and the first time my daughter was real sick. Holding her in my arms under the stars as this song played. I should have nicknamed her Factory Girl; instead I went with Cheerio, well live and learn. As good as the first nine songs are this album would be nothing in the archives of my mind without the moving finale “Salt of the Earth” and it’s chilling rhythm, somber, emerging verse and emphatic chorus lined with sweet notes of ivory and crashing cymbals. This is how to close an album; with all the soul and spirit of a live performance encapsulated in your best written song by pure music standards. They even get the choir to take you home. Fuck yeah.

I was not even planning on doing this album next, but it came up in my record player and 30 seconds into sympathy for the devil I started typing. This is so many times the origin of inspiration within music for me. Spontaneity, the thrill of the moment the excitement of surprise, not expecting the expected so to speak. Beggars Banquet is an amazing album, the Stones most overlooked, miles better then Exile on Mainstreet in my eyes and don’t get me started on Sticky Fingers. I like the Beatles better know, but the Stones will always have a place in my heart, mind and soul.

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Me, Myself and I United as One

If you're posting in the music forums make sure to be thoughtful and expressive, if you're posting in the lounge ask yourself "is this something that adds to the conversation?" It's important to remember that a lot of people use each thread. You're probably not as funny or clever as you think, I know I'm not.

My Van Morrison Discography Thread

Trollheart

As someone else has said, if you need help obtaining albums that are in my collection I'd be more than happy to help. Let me know what sort of music you're into (I have, for instance, all of Nick Cave's catalogue up to "Nocturama", which you can certainly have...)

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Son of JayJamJah

I would love an album or two from Cave, pick your favs please.

__________________
Me, Myself and I United as One

If you're posting in the music forums make sure to be thoughtful and expressive, if you're posting in the lounge ask yourself "is this something that adds to the conversation?" It's important to remember that a lot of people use each thread. You're probably not as funny or clever as you think, I know I'm not.

My Van Morrison Discography Thread