The G-Man Random 5
Every week I will place my mp3 player on random and list the first five songs to appear accompanied by whatever thoughts/feelings I may have to share regarding the track in particular. Readers may find this extremely boring but maybe one track per week may catch your fancy.
The G-Man’s Weekly Random 5
1. Song : John Henry
Artist : Bruce Springsteen
Album : We Shall Overcome (The Seeger Sessions)
Year : 2006
The Boss can do no wrong in my eyes these days.John Henry has been covered dozens and dozens of times down through the years but somehow Springsteen and the bunch assembled for The Seeger Sessions manage to breathe both new life and energy into an old classic.
2. Song : So Alive
Artist : Ryan Adams
Album : Rock ‘n’ Roll
Year : 2003
Rock ‘n’ Roll was apparently written and recorded in a matter of weeks simply to convince Adams’ then record label to release his radio-unfriendly double album Love Is Hell. True or not So Alive not only has single written all over it but can easily hold its own with anything released in his “alternative” period. The man is currently about to release his “metal” album. Mad bloke altogether our Ryan.
3. Song : Troubled Waters
Artist : Cat Power
Album : The Covers Record
Year : 2000
My “Random 5” series may already be looping (with both Ryan Adams and Cat Power appearing twice after 3 articles) but the emphasis is on the ‘R’ word. At first glance a listener may expect Simon & Garfunkel‘s classic number to appear but Chan Marshall throws a curveball with this Sam Coslow/Arthur Johnston track. The lyrics to this one are slightly darker.
“I’m gonna drown in that troubled water”
4. Song : Save You
Artist : Pearl Jam
Album : Riot Act
Year : 2002
The first rocker to the album that reinstated the early nineties rockers as “relevant”. Matt Cameron on drums defines the album with his power and enthusiasm that is really first audible on Save You.
5. Song : Sing Me back Home
Artist : The Flying Burrito Brothers
Album : Sacred Hearts & Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology
Year : 1970
Closer to CD 1 of this very thorough Gram anthology including music from The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, solo material and more. The tune itself was actually written by country singer and guitarist, Merle Haggard.