Friday, June 27, 2008
All I Ever Wanted...
Last time we met, I had a major work event coming and an Emmylou CD to buy. Well, since then, the event went extremely well--it was well-attended, my boss was happy, and, more importantly, her boss was happy. But it was also extremely stressful and demanding.
The day after it was over, I came down with an awful cold that settled right down in my chest. I'm still coughing stuff up. It left me too wiped to do much besides work, sleep, and eat Cap'n Crunch, the miracle cure-all.
However, today, after working like a madman for a week to get ready for it, at five p.m., my vacation starts! Ahhhh!
And what a vacation it will be! I'm going to read, watch Batman DVD's, visit my favorite thrift stores, drink coffee, take pictures, ride my bike, clean house, work in the yard, go camping, find a theater that's still showing Iron Man, and sleep!
I'm also going to blog, since I have quite a bit to say about the new Emmylou, yard sales, old posts, Roger Green, comic books, Days of Our Lives, and some other stuff.
But for now, there's one more day of work to do, a report to finish, a recommendation to type, data to correct, and a boss to meet with.
And so I must depart....
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Today is E-Day!
The "E" of course being Emmylou!
Well, life, they say, is what happens when you are making other plans. I had to drop one countdown post from my plans, because I didn't have time to finish it. I'll try to get to it this weekend.
I'm going to get the CD today, but will not have time to give it a good listen until Thursday because of work. I'm also most likely not going to be able to post again until the weekend.
In the meantime, go here and check out some of the tracks, plus video interviews, etc.
See ya!
Monday, June 09, 2008
Emmylou Countdown #4: Top Ten Emmylou Harris Songs
In honor of her upcoming new CD, here at last are my top ten favorite Emmylou songs. I made up the list ages ago, but decided to set it aside to see if anything on it might change with time. After all, like most people, my "favorites" can be influenced by how I'm feeling at the moment. But looking it over again, I don't see anything on here that I would want to change. So, I'm adding some commentary and throwing it up on the old blog. (Finally!)
1. "Leavin’ Louisiana in the Broad Daylight"
This is the song that confirmed me as an Emmylou fan all those many years ago. It was the flipside to the "Blue Kentucky Girl" single. I think I played it more than I did the other side. I've always loved the structure of the song, the story, the rhyme, the urgency of the way it comes together, and the drive of the fiddle that fuels it. (Played by a young Ricky Skaggs in the video. Love the mustache!)
The rest of this list could be listed in any order, but this is my favorite ELH tune, bar none.
2. "Sorrow in the Wind"
From Blue Kentucky Girl. One of my two favorite songs off that album. It's a Jean Ritchie song, which I think is way cool. No one in Nashville was recording Jean Ritchie tunes in the 80's--except Emmylou.
3. "Pancho and Lefty"
Willie may have had a bigger hit with it. The legendary Townes van Zandt may have written it. But I think the definitive version is Emmylou's. It's one of the greatest songs ever written, and there's just something about the way she brings it to life.
4. "Rough and Rocky"
Another one from Blue Kentucky Girl. The beautiful harmonies and sad sense of longing make this a song that just sticks with me.
5. "Get Up John"
I love it when she does gospel tunes, and this one is one of my favorites. The mandolin part on this one is a lot of fun.
6. "Michelangelo"
The dreamy imagery of the lyrics (which she wrote) make this song both sad and powerfully compelling.
7. "Red Dirt Girl"
Another one of the greatest songs ever written, this time by ELH herself. The tragedy of the American dream writ large. Breaks my heart every time. I love the structure of the song and the rhyme. I think it shows some of the influence Rodney Crowell has had on her writing.
Last December, I was standing at the front desk talking to our receptionist, when a young woman came in to apply for assistance. She could not have been 29, if that, and she was accompanied by a group of little girls, who looked to range from 2 to about 7. All of them were yelling "Mommy this" and "Mommy that" the whole time she was signing in and completing her initial application. She looked so exhausted and her eyes were just lifeless. All I could think of was Lillian.
8. "I Will Dream"
From Stumble Into Grace. Another heart-breakingly sad tune.
9. "The Boxer"
Simon and Garfunkel didn't know this was supposed to be a bluegrass tune, but Emmylou did.
10. "Going Back to Harlan"
I love the way the lyrics work in so many references to traditional music throughout the song. This one was written by Kate McGarrigle, who performs it in the video.
1. "Leavin’ Louisiana in the Broad Daylight"
This is the song that confirmed me as an Emmylou fan all those many years ago. It was the flipside to the "Blue Kentucky Girl" single. I think I played it more than I did the other side. I've always loved the structure of the song, the story, the rhyme, the urgency of the way it comes together, and the drive of the fiddle that fuels it. (Played by a young Ricky Skaggs in the video. Love the mustache!)
The rest of this list could be listed in any order, but this is my favorite ELH tune, bar none.
2. "Sorrow in the Wind"
From Blue Kentucky Girl. One of my two favorite songs off that album. It's a Jean Ritchie song, which I think is way cool. No one in Nashville was recording Jean Ritchie tunes in the 80's--except Emmylou.
3. "Pancho and Lefty"
Willie may have had a bigger hit with it. The legendary Townes van Zandt may have written it. But I think the definitive version is Emmylou's. It's one of the greatest songs ever written, and there's just something about the way she brings it to life.
4. "Rough and Rocky"
Another one from Blue Kentucky Girl. The beautiful harmonies and sad sense of longing make this a song that just sticks with me.
5. "Get Up John"
I love it when she does gospel tunes, and this one is one of my favorites. The mandolin part on this one is a lot of fun.
6. "Michelangelo"
The dreamy imagery of the lyrics (which she wrote) make this song both sad and powerfully compelling.
7. "Red Dirt Girl"
Another one of the greatest songs ever written, this time by ELH herself. The tragedy of the American dream writ large. Breaks my heart every time. I love the structure of the song and the rhyme. I think it shows some of the influence Rodney Crowell has had on her writing.
Last December, I was standing at the front desk talking to our receptionist, when a young woman came in to apply for assistance. She could not have been 29, if that, and she was accompanied by a group of little girls, who looked to range from 2 to about 7. All of them were yelling "Mommy this" and "Mommy that" the whole time she was signing in and completing her initial application. She looked so exhausted and her eyes were just lifeless. All I could think of was Lillian.
8. "I Will Dream"
From Stumble Into Grace. Another heart-breakingly sad tune.
9. "The Boxer"
Simon and Garfunkel didn't know this was supposed to be a bluegrass tune, but Emmylou did.
10. "Going Back to Harlan"
I love the way the lyrics work in so many references to traditional music throughout the song. This one was written by Kate McGarrigle, who performs it in the video.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Emmylou Count Down #3: Share the Love!
It seems like practically every interview, article, and spotlight about Emmylou Harris makes mention of the many artists she's worked with and the many others she's championed over the years. Her reputation as a musical collaborator and a supporter of other artists is legendary. This countdown post pays tribute to one of the many things that makes me love Emmylou so much.
Enjoy!
Gillian Welch:
Patty Griffin:
Iris Dement:
The Louvin Brothers:
Guy Clark:
This hardly scratches the surface,of course. There's also Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffith, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, The Whites, Delia Bell, Buddy Miller, Sam Bush, and so on and so forth....
Next: Take a left!
Enjoy!
Gillian Welch:
Patty Griffin:
Iris Dement:
The Louvin Brothers:
Guy Clark:
This hardly scratches the surface,of course. There's also Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffith, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, The Whites, Delia Bell, Buddy Miller, Sam Bush, and so on and so forth....
Next: Take a left!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
When Eddie Met Emmy (Emmylou Countdown Continues!)
Part 2 of a series of posts to prepare the way for the release of the new Emmylou Harris CD in June. See Part 1 here.
(Yes, I know the CD drops in a week. Yes, I know I've gotten behind again. oh well...)
It all started with one song, my love of all things Emmylou Harris. Interestingly, it wasn't one of her songs, which is kind of fitting if you start to think about the long history of collaborations she has.
I'm pretty sure I've written about this in the past, but my mother was a huge Linda Ronstadt fan, which meant that I in turn became a Linda Ronstadt fan. In fact, by a the time I was about 13 or 14, I was listening to those albums more than she was. The stereo was in her bedroom, so I had to have permission to listen to them. Sometime after my parents divorce, she sold most of her albums, but she kept the stereo and gave it to me, along with all of her Ronstadt albums.
My favorite Ronstadt album is Prisoner in Disguise, which has some great songs on it. I used to play it over and over and over. One of the songs, a traditional tune called "The Sweetest Gift," had the most beautiful harmony vocals. I asked my mom if she knew who it was, and she gave me the name, Emmylou Harris, but not much else.
Later on, I noticed the same lovely harmonies on other Ronstadt songs: "I Never Will Marry" (from Simple Dreams), "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" from Heart Like a Wheel. I was hooked. I had to find out more.
The first ELH solo song I heard was "Two More Bottles of Wine", which actually kind of shocked me a little. My sweet little harmony singer was singing hard-rocking, twangy country drinking songs? What was this? It took a while to grow on me, but it did. Obviously, this was an artist of great versatility, much like Linda Rondstadt.
At some point, the public library began to circulate LP's for patrons to check out. One day, I found Blue Kentucky Girl in the "new arrival" bin. And, that, as they say, was all she wrote. I checked that album out dozens of times and played it endlessly. It remains to this day one of my favorite ELH albums.
There probably isn't a better overview of who Harris is musically than BKG, an amalgam of hard-rocking country, traditional music, old time country, lovely harmonies that all work together because you can feel the love she has for the music in every song. Several of my most favorite ELH songs come from this album. (More on that later.)
BKG burned Emmylou into my brain for sure, and I've been a mad crazy fan ever since!
Next: Emmylou loves other artists!
(Yes, I know the CD drops in a week. Yes, I know I've gotten behind again. oh well...)
It all started with one song, my love of all things Emmylou Harris. Interestingly, it wasn't one of her songs, which is kind of fitting if you start to think about the long history of collaborations she has.
I'm pretty sure I've written about this in the past, but my mother was a huge Linda Ronstadt fan, which meant that I in turn became a Linda Ronstadt fan. In fact, by a the time I was about 13 or 14, I was listening to those albums more than she was. The stereo was in her bedroom, so I had to have permission to listen to them. Sometime after my parents divorce, she sold most of her albums, but she kept the stereo and gave it to me, along with all of her Ronstadt albums.
My favorite Ronstadt album is Prisoner in Disguise, which has some great songs on it. I used to play it over and over and over. One of the songs, a traditional tune called "The Sweetest Gift," had the most beautiful harmony vocals. I asked my mom if she knew who it was, and she gave me the name, Emmylou Harris, but not much else.
Later on, I noticed the same lovely harmonies on other Ronstadt songs: "I Never Will Marry" (from Simple Dreams), "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" from Heart Like a Wheel. I was hooked. I had to find out more.
The first ELH solo song I heard was "Two More Bottles of Wine", which actually kind of shocked me a little. My sweet little harmony singer was singing hard-rocking, twangy country drinking songs? What was this? It took a while to grow on me, but it did. Obviously, this was an artist of great versatility, much like Linda Rondstadt.
At some point, the public library began to circulate LP's for patrons to check out. One day, I found Blue Kentucky Girl in the "new arrival" bin. And, that, as they say, was all she wrote. I checked that album out dozens of times and played it endlessly. It remains to this day one of my favorite ELH albums.
There probably isn't a better overview of who Harris is musically than BKG, an amalgam of hard-rocking country, traditional music, old time country, lovely harmonies that all work together because you can feel the love she has for the music in every song. Several of my most favorite ELH songs come from this album. (More on that later.)
BKG burned Emmylou into my brain for sure, and I've been a mad crazy fan ever since!
Next: Emmylou loves other artists!
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