Friday iPod Random Ten, Annotated Yet Again!

1. Jesus: The Missing Years - John Prine

Yesterday Andy found some great YouTubes of John Prine, then and now. Here he is singing and playing "That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round" at someone's kitchen table—looks to be 25 years ago anyhow. And here's where he explains the genesis of "Angel from Montgomery." We watched dozens of others last night, including this recent tear-jerker version of "Souvenirs."

2. Feats Don't Fail Me Now - Taj Mahal

You know I never met a tribute album I could resist buying. This was from a tribute to Lowell George. It's a just-OK version.

3. I Don't Know Why (live) - Shawn Colvin

I love Shawn Colvin's voice. This is yet another winner on the World Cafe's 10th Anniversary double-CD set that I got as a gift for my donation to my local folkie radio station years ago. You've probably also heard Alison Krauss sing this one.

4. What Would You Say (live) - Dave Matthews

I like a lot of Dave Matthews' songs, but I'm not a card-carrying member of the cult. I do think he has a very cool voice, but I can do without the pseudo-scatting.

5. Blues Stay Away From Me - The Notting Hillbillies

Does anyone in the world besides us own this 1990 CD, "Missing....Presumed Having A Good Time"? It's Mark Knopfler and some other guys (Brendan Croker, Guy Fletcher, and Steve Phillips) doing all country stuff. Nice.

6. Sing One for Sister - Nanci Griffith

Which reminds me, here's a video of Nanci Griffith and John Prine doing "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" together. Gorgeous.

7. Stack O Lee Blues - Mississippi John Hurt

Usually written "Stagger Lee" and done by many musicians over the years (I've got versions by everyone from the Clash to the Grateful Dead), it tells the story of a real man named Lee Shelton. Betcha didn't know that!

8. The Next Time I'm in Town - Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler

"Neck and Neck" is another country collaboration for Mark Knopfler, this time with Chet Atkins. What could be bad?

9. Big Moon - John Doe

Thanks to regular Verbatim reader Wendy for turning me on to John Doe! This month's No Depression has a review of "I'm Not There," which concludes thus: "Virtually everybody captures some sense of what Dylan's version of the songs meant, and some singers come close to outdoing the originals. That's true especially on the two tracks featuring John Doe, who virtually opens the heavens with his version of "Pressing On" from Dylan's gospel album Saved, and sounds even better on the transcendent "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" from John Wesley Harding."

10. Pullin' Back the Reins - k.d. lang

I still get shivers from this song. What a voice.

Comments

[j]

Wow ... I had no idea that we've had that Notting Hillbillies CD since 1990! Is it really that old? Great driving music and it is one of our "must haves" when we go on trips. I love the folksy vocal harmony in "Weapon of Prayer."

[Kathy]

John Doe is a horribly underrated singer-songwriter. I actually prefer his Knitters stuff to his solo albums or X, though those are always good to check out, too.