Five Albums if You're Feeling Nostalgic, Too
I'm feeling nostalgic today, so here are five albums that suit my wistful mood.
Bobby Bare, A Bird Named Yesterday (1967, reissued 2002)
This is considered Nashville's first concept record, and I'm struck by how pertinent the message is today -- how progress can kill the charm of small towns and how corporations can ruin our natural resources. Cowboy Jack Clement wrote the title track with his trademark blend of precise wit and conversational tone, as if Bare was born to sing it.
Slaid Cleaves, Broke Down (2000)
His hard-luck characters rarely catch a break. Whenever I go to Austin, where I lived in the late 1990s, I always expect to run into these folks at the Horseshoe Lounge. Although he's writing folk tunes, his voice is stronger and more agreeable than you might expect. "Key Chain" is a sad song at heart but you can't help but chuckle at the clever lyrics.
David Allan Coe, For the Soul and for the Mind Demos of '71-'74 (2005)
In the early 1970s, Coe was an aspiring songwriter fresh out of prison, playing the honky-tonks on Nashville's Lower Broadway. These bare-bones demos, rediscovered much later by his publisher's widow, show Coe as a hungry, expressive singer with a unique insight to the seedy side of life. If you like Jamey Johnson's That Lonesome Song, track it down.
Rodney Crowell, Ain't Livin' Long Like This (1977, reissued 2002)
Released shortly after departing Emmylou Harris' band, four of my favorite Crowell songs are all here -- "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight," "Voila, An American Dream," the title track and the poignant "Song for the Life," with Willie Nelson on harmony. Since then, Crowell has proven himself as one of country's finest narrators.
Fats Domino, Live From Austin TX (2006)
You'll find your thrill listening to these early rock ‘n' roll classics, especially because the Austin City Limits audience enthusiastically cheers throughout this 1986 concert. Some tunes stretch back to the 1950s, yet with a cool horn section, a pounding piano and his signature New Orleans zip, this disc would enliven any party this very summer.
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Tim S. says:
I’m not familiar with any of these albums, I may have to look into them!
Patrick says:
Mr. Shelburne,
Your byline is always a beacon for some excellent writing.
I share your enthusiasm for “A Bird Named Yesterday.” But to call it Nashville’s “first concept album” does an injustice to earlier work such as Johnny Cash’s “Ride This Train.” I’m guessing that there are more, and I’ll probably think of
them just as soon as I hit the “submit” button. But you get my drift.
Regards,
Patrick
Los Angeles
jersey says:
great article! i got to sing with Bobby Bare last summer, he’s a great guy. great album!
Redmaz says:
I believe Slaid Cleaves really hit his stride and never looked back with the CD “Broke Down”, followed by the masterpiece “Wishbones” in 2004. However I do like 1997’s “No Angel Knows” too. Even with his cover tunes album “Unsung” in 2006, he brought something good to the table. One of the most prolific singer/songwriters of our time. I guess that’s why his current CD “Everything You Love Will Be taken Away” is at #9 this week on the Roots Country chart(falling from the #1 spot he held).
countryiscool says:
Is it just me, or is there an irony in country artists touting the merits of “small town” living & yet still just busting to get their name OUTside these small towns? Kind of amusing. I’m familiar with a few of these names, and thanks to Craig’s comments, I may have to go check a few out again.