You Can Trade Your Rights for Several Wrongs & Your Songs of Love for a Love of Songs...

A customer of mine brought in another cd of a favorite singer-songwriter of his, which I thoroughly enjoyed. He's brought me several such prizes over the last year, & I've always meant to return the favor but I always forget to, so tonight, before the game, I'm gonna get it started, finally. Making compilations is a great pasttime of mine, sometimes there's a time period or a type of music it's limited to, or sometimes it's limited to one artist, or even one artist during one time period, sometimes there's a theme behind it, Bob Dylan stole my idea on this one for his Theme Time Radio Hour(well, probably not). The latest show is songs about coffee, it's a shame he doesn't include his own songs.

My favorite of these that I made a few years ago has been a compilation of songs about trains, all from my collection. At first, I thought I'd be struggling to fill up a cd, but you'd be amazed at how many great songs there are involving a train.

For this comp, though, I'm going to keep it random as possible. The fun of these is the transition from one song to the other, making you wonder how one song could possibly be on the same cd as the next, but yet somehow all fit together. Maybe I'll go from Charles Mingus to the Roots, or Woody Guthrie to Stereolab, it's all part of the fun.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Nothingman-Pearl Jam, A Live One

Everybody feels this way from time to time.

Looks Like I'm Up Sh*t Creek Again-Nora O'Connor, Down from the Mountain, Five Years of Bloodshot Records

You wouldn't think a song with a title & a refrain like this could be so beautiful, it's all in the delivery.

A Night In Tunisia-Art Blakely & the Jazz Messengers, A Night in Tunisia

Drum solos have always bored me to tears, all of 'em 'cept this one.

Tombstone Blues-Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited

Faded from the Winter-Iron & Wine, The Creek Drank the Cradle

Today's blog is brought to you by Claussen's Pickles, enjoy a Claussen's Pickle with a Boca Burger today!

Happy Wednesday, friends, I hope your mixed tape is full of happy songs!

andrew

We Drove That Car as Far as We Could, Abandoned it Out West...

I think I've found a way out of my horrible 5 year lease on my Malibu. I still rank that decision as the worst I've ever made in my life, leaving voting for George Bush in the 2000 election far behind at #2. I'm going to pay dearly for that little decision, (the car that is, I won't comment on #2) but I think I've found the best way out of it, thanks to the fine folks at Gage Motor Mall.

My next decision is whether to buy a cheaper new car or go with a little bit nicer used car. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow. Who knows, maybe I'll still be stuck with it, still.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

At Last-Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

Got My Mojo Working-Muddy Waters

Muddy was a badass, there's no two ways around it. I still can't decide who was the best blues harmonica player of all time, Little Walter or Sonny Boy Williamson. For today, it's Little Walter

I Was Meant for the Stage-the Decemberists, Her Majesty the Decemberists

"mother please be proud, father be forgiving, even though you told me son, 'you'd never make a living'..."

Tears of Rage-Bob Dylan & the Band, the Basement Tapes

Ah, the glorious Basement Tapes...

When the Roses Bloom Again-Wilco, Nashville 2006

Today's blog is brought to you by the 2002 Chevy Malibu, a great car to drive unless you lease it for five years...

Happy Tuesday, friends, wherever you may roam...

andrew

This Town

I'm finding more & more that I'm enjoying living in a small town. Work & personal lives seem to be woven together, & I think much of that comes from the fact that everybody realizes that they've got to somehow get along. Who wants a bunch of neighbors they don't like? That's not to say that there isn't a fair amount of materialism & class divide, but it doesn't seem to effect relationships with other people. Today, I had lengthy conversations with painters, waitresses, an owner of a factory, & the owner of a very large development company & during all of them, everybody treated everybody else the same. I like my job.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Keeping Me Awake-Tarkio, Omnibus

It always seems to me that for every significant time period in life, there's a song that both reminds you of that time period & somehow frames the period at the same time. What a simple, bittersweet, brilliant, little song.

All Those Yesterdays-Pearl Jam, Wishlist

See above...Gotta go listen to this one again.

Thunder Road (song by Bruce Springsteen)-Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Tortoise, the Brave & the Bold

What's the point of covering a song if you can't bring something new to it that's not in the original? No worries here.

Amelia-Joni Mitchell, Hejira

What Can I Do For You?-Bob Dylan, Contract with the Lord

"you have given everything to me, what can I do for you? You have explained every mystery, what can I do for you?" "How about the best harmonica solo I can come up with?" Bob seems to be saying in this song. This song always reminds me of "Little Drummer Boy".

Have a good weekend, friends. It looked to be nothing but work for me, but it appears as if friends are coming over Saturday to watch the Pistons & my pal Katie's coming over Sunday. There's still work, but oh well...

andrew

Three Days, Three Great Men

May 23-25 boasts the best string of important birthdays in the history of the world.

My nephew Quinn turned four yesterday. I love watching that little fella discovering things, everytime I see him he does & says things I never could imagine him saying & it cracks me up everytime. I feel a special kinship with him, seeing as how he too is vastly outnumbered by women as I was as a lad. It'll only make him stronger, maybe he may pick up a thing or two about style. He knows a thing or two about tractors, he's a man's man. My favorite thing about Quinn? He's got a bit of curmudgeon in him. He's gonna need it to get along with those women.

Bob Dylan turns 65 today, & as I sit & listen to the latest version of my favorite song, Desolation Row, from April 29, I can honestly say he's still the most engaging performer on the planet. He's still on the road, performing 100+ concerts a year, no two the same (no matter what songs he plays), rather than resting on his unsurpassed body of work.

Ryan turns 27 tomorrow. You hear the cliche all the time that somebody is like a brother. This was never truer than it is with Ryan. Cheers, pal. I'll put some Cash in the player & raise a glass (or a can) for ya tonight at JW's, wish you could be there.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Desolation Row-Bob Dylan Jackson, 4-29-2006

you wouldn't think to look at him, that he was famous long ago, for playing the electric violin on Desolation Row...

Quinn the Eskimo (the Mighty Quinn)-Shepherd's Bush

when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, everybody's gonna jump for joy!

Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)-Sufjan Stevens, Michigan, Greetings from the Great Lakes State

Shelter Me-Buddy Miller, Universal United House of Prayer

Forever for Her (Is Over for Me)-the White Stripes, Get Behind Me Satan

Today's blog is brought to you by Rymar Wood Sealing Products. I was delighted to find out today that this company I buy deck stain from is owned & is run by one family. The owner's son came out today to do us a huge favor & tell us all about his products. He's got me sold, if I wasn't already.

Happy Wednesday, friends. Happy Birthday, gentlemen...

andrew

2-0

Yesterday was a great day of Detroit sports, starting with the Tigers game, my first in a couple of years. It's always great to watch the Tigers play, though I do miss Tiger Stadium. Everything is just a bit too nice & clean for my tastes, but oh well. It's a beautiful park, & it was a beautiful day, if not a bit chilly.

We bought the tickets before finding out the Pistons game would be at 3:30 on Sunday, the baseball game was at 1:05. So our best bet was a shutout from the hometeam, & they didn't disappoint. It was a pitcher's duel, with the Tigers not scoring 'til the 9th, my favorite kind of game. It was quick, too, allowing us to catch the final three quarters of the Pistons game at Ryan's, thanks in part to his brilliant navigation of his fair city. It was a stress-free deciding game, with the Pistons causing Lebron James to be ineffective in the second half.

It was a great day, a good time was had by all. Ryan's new place is great, right in the heart of Grosse Pointe, & a major upgrade from his place right in the heart of downtown Detroit (though that place was great, too). It was a very charming place, with a nice little market on the corner, & a nice coffee shop down the street. I'm proud of the ol' boy.

Dan, Jr & I had plenty of laughs on the way & back, too. A great day.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Highwater (for Charley Patton)-New Orleans Jazz Festival, April 2006

folks losin' their possessions, folks are leavin' town...

Very prophetic, methinks...

Like a Rolling Stone-New Orleans Jazz Festival, April 2006

When you ain't got nothin', you've got nothin' to lose, you're invisible now, you've got no secrets to conceal...

Why? (What's Goin' On?)-the Roots, the Tipping Point

Springtime Can Kill You (Get Out of the House)-Jolie Holland, Springtime Can Kill You

This House-Kevin Davis

the ones you love are walkin' tall with their diplomas in their hands, but they've never really graduated...

Today's blog was brought to you by Majestic Painting of Grand Haven, paint jobs that last the duration...

okay, the image wouldn't upload for some reason...

have a good week, friends...

andrew

Opa Holds Court

I got a welcome visit from Opa & Jane yesterday at work. It was as if a celebrity came to visit, he kept everyone at the store laughing during their stay. All the important topics were covered, religion, romance, sports, Britton, Adrian, business & much much more. We went & had a nice lunch at the Morningstar, they took a tour of my place, Jane bought some paint (Gloria helped her pick out colors & quantities, I hope she likes 'em!) & they were on their way. I hope they had as much fun as I did.

In other news, Gloria & I went to a couple of greenhouses today & I bought some plants to brighten up the patio, it's looking pretty mean. It's good to know experts!

It's going to be a busy day of Detroit sports, tomorrow. Jr, Dan & I are driving to Detroit to go to the Tigers game with Ryan tomorrow. We are hoping for a quick victory (shutout, maybe?) so that we can make it to Ryan's to watch the majority of the Pistons game. Why do they schedule a game for 3:3o? My prediction for the Pistons is that they'll finally realize that they really do need to win & pull out a convincing win. Chauncey will break out of his slump, Tayshaun will hold Lebron James to under 50 points, Ben Wallace will make one free throw, Rasheed Wallace will only get one technical foul.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

All Along the Watchtower-Bob Dylan, Las Vegas April 7, 2006

Ever since Jimi Hendrix transformed this song from a low-key folk song into an electrified masterpiece, Bob Dylan has been trying to copy it in concert. Hendrix's cover of Bob's song turned out to be one of the best rock & roll songs of all time, & it's one of the few, if not the only, cover song that I enjoy as much as the original. Bob & the band come close to Jimi's arrangement, with Denny Freeman mastering the "train going over the tracks" sound that Jimi had. Has there ever been a more ominous opening lyric to a song? There must be someway out of here, said the joker to the thief...

Arthur Murray-Vic Chesnutt, the Salesman & Bernadette

She's so fashionable, she's a nazi when she's shopping...

Born in the 70's-the Fruitbats, Spelled in Bones

Whatever happened to you?

If I Needed You-Townes Van Zandt, Rear View Mirror

I would swim the seas for to ease your pain...

Highwater (for Charley Patton)-Bob Dylan, Ann Arbor November 7, 2002

Today's blog is brought to you by cool, refreshing Pabst Blue Ribbon, voted America's best in 1893!

Happy Saturday, friends...

andrew

Hanging on to a Solid Rock...

They are building new condos next door to me, the same builder that built mine. I've been keeping an eye on the progress daily, & I can't help but think how frail it all is. Move some dirt around, throw some foundations in, drop a bunch of rocks, throw up a frame, put some siding up. That's not to say that they're doing a bad job, it's just amazing how quick it all is. One hurricane, one bulldozer or some other major disaster could take it all down. Good thing we've got the solid rock, made before the foundation of the world...

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Oh Well-Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine

I saw somebody at JW's the other night that looked just like Fiona Apple.

I try to talk sense to myself, but I just won't listen...

How Was I to Know?-Nil Lara

I saw this guy play at Borders Books in downtown Ann Arbor when I was seventeen or so, it was an incredible show, just him & his guitar. He only made the one album, & it's remained one of my favorites. It's a shame he's never made more.

Floater (Too Much to Ask)-Bob Dylan, Love & Theft

my grandfather was a ducktrapper,
he could do it with just dragnets & ropes
my grandmother could sew new dresses out of old cloths
I don't know if they ever had any dreams or hopes
I had 'em once, though, I suppose
to go along with all the ring dancin' Christmas Carolers
on all the Christmas eves
I left all my dreams & hopes
buried under tobacco leaves...

Cold Irons Bound-Kansas City, Bob Dylan 4.17.06

reality has always had too many heads...

Please Tell My Brother-Jeff Tweedy

Happy Wednesday, friends!

andrew