Random Records: Merle Haggard - Okie From Muskogee

So the other day I was down in my shop/dungeon/secret lair/basement doing a few chores and decided to pull a record at random from the ol' shelves to listen to. I thought...hey, that would make an interesting recurring feature on the ol' blog, and what a great way to increase my coveted blogger cred ;-). so here we are. What I plan to do is post a few thoughts on the album and a track from the album.

The record I pulled ended up being Merle Haggard's 1968 live album Okie From Muskogee.

The fact I pulled a Hag record should come as no surprise to me, as I have a lot of Hag records. This one in particular though is one of my favorites. I like to call it Merle's "Folsom". That is a good comparison because much like Cash's "Folsom" & "San Quentin" twofer, Merle had "Okie" and 1970's "Fightin' Side of Me". Both great live albums that should go together as a pair (much like Cash's).
Okie was recorded live in Muskogee, Oklahoma and features the song the album takes it's title from. Sadly I don't think the fine folks of Muskogee realized they were on the butt end of Merle's very tongue in cheek (and often misunderstood) "Okie From Muskogee". "Okie", written from his dad's perspective about the events of the time (the 60's man...) became sort of anthem that Haggard never intended. Here are his own words on the subject: "It started out as a joke. We wrote to be satirical originally. But then people latched onto it, and it really turned into this song that looked into the mindset of people so opposite of who and where we were"
For my money though the best song on this album is without a doubt "Silver Wings". This version of the song is in my opinion THE version of "Silver Wings". So stripped down, just Haggard and the strangers, some of Hag's most soulful vocals and I just love it when he says to Roy Nichols "Pick it Nichol's" right before he lays some tasty licks on us.
This is without a doubt one of my top 3 Country albums of all time, which is what inspired me to start this recurring feature.....Might as well start it with something REALLY GOOD, call it luck of the draw.

Listen to Merle Haggard - Silver Wings (live) here

Steve Goodman - Houston, TX June 9th, 1983

25 years and about a week ago we lost a great american voice. Steve Goodman, most famous for penning "City of New Orlean" (what some consider the greatest train song ever penned), died on Sept. 20th 1984 of leukemia at the age of 36 (a disease he had been suffering with for 15 years). Discovered together with friend and contemporary John Prine by none other than Kris Kristofferson in 1971 and propelled to fame in 1972 when Arlo Guthrie had a hit with "City of New Orleans". Legend has it that Guthrie agreed to listen to Goodman's song so long as Goodman bought him a beer and he would only listen as long as it took him to drink the beer. Well the song he played for Guthrie was "City of New Orleans" and the rest....as they say...

Steve Goodman is also known as the writer of "You Never Even Called Me By My Name, made famous by David Allan Coe who added the infamous "the perfect country and western song" ending refrain. On this recording here, the ever smartass Goodman adds his own "perfect country and western song" ending refrain which is not to be missed.

The sound on this is pretty good. The beginning intros of both the concert and the radio show are kind of annoying but easy to get over.

MP3 @ 192 (converted from FLAC)

Steve Goodman - Houston 1983

FLAC vs. MP3

Well, got a comment from the guy who taped the Sam Baker show (and the other Sam Baker shows I'm assuming) and he wasn't very happy that I had converted his original FLAC files to "lossy" MP3's. Understandable. I explained to him the reasoning behind this was that I assumed most of my readers would rather have an MP3 file (as would I). Personally I think FLAC files take up too much disc space, and are unplayable in most media players. Another thing is when I convert the files to MP3, I actually rename them, create artwork (if none exists), and properly tag the MP3's (including cover art) so they look all nice, organized, and pretty in your media player of choice. His stance is that by converting the files, someone else could come along later, burn to a CD, then re-rip and share on a trader's site and BAM! now there are "lossy" files being passed off as lossless corrupting the database. Something like that. While that scenario could very well happen, it could happen a number of other ways as well (for instance, that very Sam Baker show is also being shared as a single WMA file on Sugarmegs, not to mention the ENTIRE archive.org database can be dl'd in low bitrate MP3's).

While I really really appreciate what these tapers do (really, I love that you guys go out and capture these amazing shows), I don't agree with the whole "do not convert to MP3" thing. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the reason you guys tape because you think the music you are recording should be heard? Wouldn't it then stand to reason that by converting and tagging the files in MP3, the format of choice for the digital generation, that even MORE people are going to hear this great artist you are trying to get heard. I consider what I do akin to promotion, I post stuff on here because I think it should be heard. The last thing I want to do is make it difficult for the readers to HEAR something I think they should hear. I do not want to pass the job of converting and tagging the files onto my readers, no I am happy to do it, and I actually enjoy making the artworks for the shows probably a little more than I should.

So after thinking about this all weekend, I don't think I will stop converting and tagging the files. What I will do is make sure I put a note at the very top of the accompanying TXT file that states in big fat letters **THESE FILES HAVE BEEN CONVERTED TO 192bitrate MP3**. Therefore if the files do get proliferated, all one has to do is look at the TXT file (which features the lineage anyway) and it will be clear the files have been converted.

Sorry and Thank You at the same time to all the tapers out there. What you guys are doing is MUSIC PRESERVATION.

If any of my readers DO happen to want FLAC files, I recommend going over to www.dimeadozen.org, which is where I get a lot of the newer boots I post (and I have a feeling where I will likely be banned from now :-P).

Also here is a poll, because I am interested in what you the reader thinks.

Sam Baker - At The Paradiso Amsterdam 9/19/09

Here we have a new Sam Baker show. This one includes songs from all three albums of the Mercy Trilogy....including the latest Cotton. These are even more stripped down versions of his songs...and man are these SONGS! I've read that Sam takes a long time to write his songs because he crafts them....he chooses the perfect words for each song. It shows. Sound on this one is great, and it's a song heavy show. Sam comments repeatedly that it's the fastest show he's ever done, joking about his long windedness saying he once played an hour set in Texas and only got 4 songs in.

If you haven't picked up Cotton and are a fan of Sam's other albums...what are you waiting for? It's a continuation of Mercy and Pretty World.

Also I have another new Sam Baker that is about twice as long as this one. Lots of talking, really interesting. I will post it later if there is interest in the comments for it. (that means comment if whether you want me to post it or not).

MP3 @ 192

Sam Baker - At The Paradiso 2009

Annie and The Beekeepers - Again And Again (Vid)

WOW! Came across this while looking through some vids Music Fog made during last weeks Americana Music Festival. Really, all I can say is WOW!

Free Album Alert: Grant Langston - Stand Up Man

Well the free albums just continue to come. This one you need to sign up for a mailing list for, but fans of say....Dwight Yoakam or Dale Watson would likely dig. That is to say, this vears far more towards the mainstream than typical ATS fare. Well that is not entirely true.....unless we are maybe talking the mainstream of 1992 then it's a better statement. so yes, that is an apt description "throwback mainstream country".

That said, as a fan of 70's Burt Reynolds' movies (call it a guilty pleasure....but I feel no guilt!)....I really like the song Burt Reynolds Movie Brawl

Download Grant Langston - Stand Up Man here

Tom Russell - Folkscene (Feb. 18th, 1990)

All I can say about Tom Russell is WOW! I am extremely late to the party on Tom but consider me a huge fan! I had heard versions of his songs by other favorite artists, like Doug Sahm's version of St. Olav's Gate, and Johnny Cash's version of Veteran's Day but those versions are no match for Tom's. His latest album Blood and Candlesmoke (more on that coming up) is a modern masterpiece, and his back catalouge ain't too shabby either. This radio show is evidence of that. Backed by A Truer Sound favorite Steve Young, Tom plays in support of his then newly released album Poor Man's Dream. The interviews intermixed with the songs are something long time Tom Russell fans will not want to miss, and for new Tom Russell fans (like me) this makes a great intro to his back catalouge. Fans of Guy Clark, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Kristofferson, McMurtry, Cash's folky side and just great singer songwriters in general will be doing themselves a disservice to not be familiar with Tom Russell.

MP3 @ 192

Tom Russell - Folkscene 1990

Album Review: BettySoo - Heat Sin Water Skin

Well, another album review. This one is so good I just had to do a review of it. Bettysoo is going down as my discovery of the year, how I managed to miss her prior 3 albums is beyond me, but you can bet I will be exploring her back catalog after hearing this wonderful album.

Now first let's get the obvious out of the way, Bettysoo....that is her name, in her own words "I guess Asian-American songwriters aren't that common. At least, not in Texas". Well songwriting and singing of this caliber aren't that common anywhere honey.

If I had to try to explain her sound well I would say she has the voice of an angel, similar to Allison Krauss, but with a swagger and honesty that is more closely related to early Lucinda Williams. Of course some of that Lucinda-ness may be attributed to producer extraordinaire Gurf Morlix (who has also produced Lucinda, Slaid Cleaves, & Ray Wylie Hubbard just to name a few). Here he pulls guitar duty as well as production giving the album his trademark "grit and groove" sound which matches seamlessly with Bettysoo's vocal stylings. Songs like "Never Knew No Love" and "Get Clean" showcase this perfectly. With Gurfs trademark guitar and organ sound blending with Bettysoo's words and voice like Bailey's blends with Coffee.

But don't think it's all "grit and groove", no there is also a softer tender side to this album. With songs like "Just Another Lover", "What We've Got", and "Forever" echoing not just the aforementioned Allison Krauss, but artists like Eliza Gilkyson and Nancy Griffith as well.

The album closes with the song "Next Big Thing", which is not only a beautiful song, but I hope a little bit of foreshadowing for Bettysoo's career.

Recommended if you like: Lucinda Williams, Eliza Gilkyson, Kasey Chambers, Allison Krauss, Nancy Griffith, Kathleen Edwards, Pieta Brown, Patty Griffin...

Bettysoo - Never Knew No Love.mp3 or HERE

Bettysoo - Next Big Thing.mp3 or HERE

http://www.bettysoo.com/

Buy Heat Sin Water Skin and stream it here

Johnny Cash - Strawberry Cake (Out of Print and Rare 1976 live album)

While this may not be the best Johnny Cash live album (that distinction goes to either Folsom or San Quentin depending on who you ask and on what day), it's certainly the most interesting. Interspersed with stories and dialouge and pure interaction with the audience. This album makes you realize that Johnny Cash's career did not suddenly end in 1970 and pick back up in 1994 as some would like to believe. No, The 70's were a fruitful time for the Man In Black, while certainly not as classic and legendary as his 50's and late 60's performances and albums, he was certainly at the top of his game as a performer.

This album is a testament to that, and it's a wonder in this day and age how an album like this remains out of print. If you are looking for Johnny Cash singing the hits, look elsewhere, no Folsom Prison Blues performed at this show (could this be the only Johnny Cash live album to NOT have Folsom on it?). Only hits to speak of are Big River and possibly I Got Stripes (with the band yelling out between verses). Includes an amazing rendition of Rock Island Line which he plays for Lonnie Donegan (who had a hit in the UK with Rock Island Line) who is in the crowd.

The most interesting part of the show however is when June starts to sing Church In The Wildwood but is interrupted as the theater (the London Palladium) must be evacuated for an IRA bomb threat.

MP3 @ 192

Johnny Cash - Strawberry Cake

From The Archives: Chris Knight - Lexington, KY (Dec. 30th, 2006)

Have had a few requests for this from folks over at the Chris Knight Forums, so thought I would get off my ass and post them.

As I said in the original post, this is a killer Chris Knight bootleg. For a number of reasons, 1. Chris Knight is from Kentucky, 2. it's almost a new years show, and 3. it's a full band show. So it's Chris playing on his home turf with and for his friends at a time of festivities.

If you haven't already, head over to chrisknight.net (not to be confused with christ knight dot net, which is something else entirely), and pre-order the excellent Trailer II, which is the follow up the The Trailer Tapes, and includes more early demos that are powerful as a hurricane in their starkness and honesty.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Now this is a killer bootleg. An almost New Years Eve show from 2006 with his band and damn are they in high gear. The sound on this one is excellent, and the performance is damned good too. This one is a must for all Chris Knight fans.

And yes, I totaly aped CCR for the album cover :P

MP3 @ 192
Chris Knight - Lexington 2006

More free albums....Suburban Home Records & The Ladysails

and you thought it was over! Well I guess that should say I thought it was over.

Well I couldn't NOT tell you about the amazing deal Suburban Home Records is offering right now. In celebration of their 14th anniversary they are offering just about any album in their catalog FREE! Any album you choose. Just go to the Suburban Home Free Album page, enter your email and choose the album you want. Simple as that...and AWESOME!

Might I recommend some things to check out..the killer new Austin Lucas for old time and bluegrass fans (check out ninebullets recent review), Drag The River, Two Cow Garage, for those who like a little punk mixed in with their twang, the underrated Tim Barry. Myself, I will be checking out the new Jon Snodgrass (of Drag The River) and Cory Branan (the guy name dropped in Lucero's "Tears Don't Matter Much") new self-titled collaboration album. If only because it has the most kick ass album cover I may have ever seen!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, so in addition to that, I thought I would also mention that The Ladysails are also offering their new album, and previous album for free here. I haven't listened to it yet, so I can't vouch for it. But it was brought to my attention (thanks kimmytw), so I thought I would bring it to yours.

Another Betty-Soo vid

Yep, I'm posting another one. Why, because it's my blog and I can that's why!! :-P

Can't get enough of this stuff!

http://www.bettysoo.com

Free Album Week Wrap Up

So if you follow myself and Nine Bullets, you probably saw a parallel theme between the two sites. We ourselves realized we were both coincidentally posting free albums on Wednesday night, and decided to soldier on regardless. So head on over there and check out his posts from this week regarding free albums around the web (and if your not following Nine Bullets, you should be).

So as a wrap up of this free album week, here are some other free albums from around the web:

• Amber Dust who are giving away both of their albums for free
• 
  
• Fake Gods who are giving away their album Wine To Water
• 
  
• Joe Pug who is giving away the EP In The Meantime for free if you sign up for his newsletter
• 
  
• Ham 1 who are giving away an EP Version of their latest album Underground Stream and their previous self titled album

And don't forget about these free albums that I posted about previously

• The Only Sons (formerly Ribbonpigeon) giving away their album Steel Hearts
• 
  
• Deano Waco giving away his album Deano Meats The Purveyors

Hope you guys enjoyed the week of freebies

Free Album Alert: Glossary - The Better Angels Of Our Nature

So, saved the best for last here. I got hipped to this via an e-mail from one of the fine readers of ATS a little while back. First thing I thought was HOW THEY HELL DID I MISS THESE GUYS! This is really good stuff guys. Very melodic, very twangy, very much something you will not regret checking out.

Here is a what the Glossary official site has to say:

Ten years into their career, Murfreesboro, TN rock denizens Glossary have learned a few things. The band’s latest offering of bleeding heart defiance and optimism, The Better Angels of Our Nature, represents those attributes in both exhibition and execution. Rather than suffer the trappings of the record industry’s broken business model, the latest chapter in Glossary’s long legacy is available directly from the band completely free of charge. No strings attached, no cut corners, no hassle, just a band enthusiastic about what they’re doing. From the opening lilt of “Only Tell Will Tell” to the matter-of-fact declaration of “I’m still holding on to rock ‘n roll” on album closer “Blood On the Knobs,” there’s plenty on Better Angels about which to be excited. Having crashed the Glossary website the day of release due to the sheer volume of downloads, the band’s fifth full-length finds the septet ascending even higher above their simple Southern roots — exploring the beauty, nuance, conflict and contradictions of life in Dixie. The vitality found in these songs transcends whatever medium through which they might be presented, putting Glossary in a position of utmost importance during a cross-section in music’s history. <The Better Angels of Our Nature will also be made available on CD on Oct 23, pressed in a series of short runs featuring artwork courtesy of local Middle Tennessee artists and designers, with a vinyl release to follow in early 2008.

The band is gearing up for a tour with Drive-By Truckers, and are planning a fall release of the album Feral Fire on Lucero's record label Liberty and Lament.

Download Glossary - The Bettery Angels of Our Nature here

My latest musical obsession: Betty-Soo

I will be talking more about this in the coming weeks, but I just discovered this wonderful artist and I'm hooked. This song is off her (excellent) latest album Heat Sin Water Skin (you can listen at that link)

http://www.bettysoo.com/

Free Albums Alert: Jason Anderson

That's right, I said albums....plural. Singer-Songwriter Jason Anderson has decided to make a bunch of his albums free on his website. Quite a few of them I might add, and mostly from 2007 & 2008.

Jason's music has a heavy Springsteen influence in his music, and also reminds me alot of Counting Crows (and little hints of Hold Steady here and there).

My Favorites of these downloads are On The Street, and Tour Support. Also a cool low key cover of Tom T. Halls "That's How I Got To Memphis" in the Song A Day albums.

Download Jason Alexander stuff here

Albums up for grabs are:

On The Street

Wilderness, Etc.

Thug Poet

Tour Support

Song A Day

Song A Day: Selections

For The Girls

Free Album Alert: Shane with The Ashes - Things Fall Apart (Demos)

This one is a little more laid back and subdued than the last few free albums I've posted. It's very much an introspective folky affair. Think Bonnie Prince Billy and The Avett Brothers though not as lush and a bit more rustic (these are demos after all). Also a lot of subtle hints of 60's pop in here ala The Beatles or The Beach Boys. Particularly in the title track, which is my favorite of this collection along with I'm Lost.

Definitely not a Saturday night album, but makes for some great Sunday morning after listening.

Download Shane with The Ashes here

Kasey Anderson - Nowhere Nights LP & Shirt Giveaway

As promotion for his upcoming album Nowhere Nights, Kasey Anderson is giving away 3 LP/T-Shirt bundles and he asked a few of us bloggers to help him out. But Kasey doesn't want to just give them away, where is the fun in that, he wants you to earn them. So somewhere in this post, and in the other blog's posts (hint: Start at Red River Records) are a series of clues that will lead you to the prize.

If you are playing the game, well, then after me you need to head over to My Aimz Is True for the next clue.

But Wait! There's More! As a thank you to us bloggers for playing along, he has also given each of us exclusive demo tracks from the album to share. The one he gave me is called All Lit Up, and I love it. Really excited for this album because everything I've heard from it has been incredible. From the absolutely phenomenal I Was A Photograph to this demo track here, definitely an album to look out for! (and thanks to Kasey you now have a chance to win the album almost 6 months early!)

Kasey Anderson - All Lit Up (Demo)

Check out The Kasey Anderson twinterview from last week while you're at it.

Free Album Alert: The Dexateens - Lost and Found

I guess by now you are starting to see a theme. This Dexateens album is from last year and made a few best of lists around the blog-o-sphere. It was free last year too...sorry guys, guess I flaked on that one! Regardless it's still free and it's a pretty killer little album.

If you're not familiar with The Dexateens (and you should be cause I've put them on many Truesounds samplers), they are an Alabama band who remind me of severly twanged up early DBT (pre-Southern Rock Opera). Mostly attributed to singer Elliott McPherson's serious southern drawl. Speaking of DBT, Patterson Hood is a fan. So much so he co-produced their 2007 album Hardwire Healing.

So give this a listen if you haven't already, because if you like it you should seriously consider their latest album Singlewide, which is a much more mature and realized album in my opinion, and possibly their best to date.

Download Lost And Found here (Donations also welcome)

(Sorta) Free Album Alert: Truckstop Coffee - For Dear Life

This one comes via Nine-Bullets-Dot-Net, and it's a sorta free album well because these guys are letting your consience be your guide. See it's a choose your own price download. Want to get it for free, leave it at zilch, want to help them buy a new altenator for the tour van, then chip in a few bucks. (DISCLAIMER: I don't know if they need a new alternator, but being a touring band, I'm sure they do)

Fans of Wrinkle Neck Mules and Sons of Bill will surely like this. Though they are a little more rocking then the mules they still wear their country influences firmly on their sleeves. Fans of just damn good roots rock will surely like this as well, I know I'm loving it! Give it a chance, DL it for free and if you like it enough re-dl it and throw 'em some coin. Believe me, it's worth it for the song 16 ounces (well I'm getting better 16 ounces at a time...).

Truckstop Coffee are currently on tour this week in FL then a quick jut up through the Carolinas and VA (oddly including Gretna VA.....which is in the middle of fuckin' nowhere) so if you're in the area go see them, 'cause according to Autopsy IV over at Nine Bullets they put on a killer show. Also any NC folks take note....they are willing to play your BBQ on the 7th.

Download For Dear Life in the middle of this page

Free Album Alert: Macon Greyson - This Machine Kills Hypocrisy EP

Seems there are a lot of groups offering up goodies for fans these days. Which is great for us fans. Macon Greyson are a Dallas band (notice I sand band not guy) who are very much in the southern rock vein of music. Which is not a bad thing to these ears. Lots of sweet slide guitar, big bass, big drums, and big Les Paul riffs. Think Backsliders meet Black Crowes, that would start you in the right direction of their sound. These guys can also draw more than a few parallels with fellow Texas rockers Band Of Heathens: They both are purely grounded in a classic roots rock sound, and both have been produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard. Odds are if you like Bands of Heathens....you will like these guys and vice versa.

Macon Greyson are currently on tour throughout Texas and the midwest, including a few dates with Ha Ha Tonka

Download This Machine Kills Hypocrisy EP here