The Singer/The Folk Singer

Nick Cave has quite the back catalog. I first got into him around Let Love In, but didn't really come to appreciate him until No More Shall We Part. He's been quite prolific lately, releasing a double cd a few years back, the full length Grinderman side project in 2007, and 2008's excellent Dig, Lazurus, Dig. So the recent years have kept me pretty busy, but the recent reissues of his first four albums provide an excellent reason to start exploring those early albums again.

It's a pleasure to hear 1986's Kicking Against The Pricks in remastered form, especially "The Singer." Originally known as "The Folk Singer" and written by Johnny Cash, the song is strangely absent from almost all of Johnny Cash's numerous box sets and greatest hits albums. It's a forgotten jem. And today, while listening to Kicking Against The Pricks, I finally was able to listen to the original. It's a great take on what it means to be an entertainer, and sounds great coming from Cave, as well as Cash. Both are pretty sublime.


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Nick Cave's version from 1986's Kicking Against The Pricks:



Johnny Cash's version from 1968, the B-side to "Folsom Prison Blues:"

Remembering Jay Bennett

Jay Bennett died over the weekend in his sleep at the age of 45. It's sad news. Not just because he was an extremely talented musician and member of Wilco during their most inventive years, but because he was only 45. His recent MySpace journal entries spoke of upcoming hip surgery to repair a painful injury he sustained years earlier when he jumped off a stage. His tone was upbeat. He had a new album in the works. Things were looking good.

So many nice things have been said about Jay over the last couple of days. Shame he couldn't have heard them himself. A lot of interesting clips have surfaced that really show his talent. Here are a few.

Bob Dylan's Together Through Life

He's Bob Dylan. A living legend. The Shakespeare of our time. He infused serious lyrics into rock. Before him the Beatles were singing "Love Me Do." The Stones were doing blues covers. Lawrence Welk was at the top of the charts.

Okay, so let's not get into a discussion of the current state of popular music. Or maybe we should. Together Through Life did debut at number one. Not bad for a 67 year old that many a critic wrote off in the 80's as a has been.

This is album number three of new studio albums since Bob Dylan reset the clock with 1997's Time Out Of Mind. Since then he released 2001's Love and Theft and 2006's Modern Times. With his latest release, Dylan trimmed the 4-5 year gap to under three years. And this doesn't even count last year's excellent Tell Tale Signs, Volume 8 in the Bootleg Series.

Together Through Life is the most accessible Dylan record since Desire or maybe Slow Train Coming. Once you get used to the accordion and pre-rock sound, as well as Dylan's "blood of the land" voice, the songs draw you into their burned out 21st century by way of a 1950's Mexican small town landscape and flow by effortlessly. It's good road tripping music. Of the 10+ times I've listened to it, the time I enjoyed it most was on a late night drive.

"This Dream Of You," "I Feel A Change Comin' On" and "It's All Good" are the clear highlights, providing some of the lyrical depth we've come to expect of him. But they fit in nicely among the rest of the album. There's humor in "My Wife's Home Town," especially towards the end when Dylan gives us a demonic laugh. And "Jolene" and "Shake Shake Mama" are fun little bluesy rockers. Love is the theme, both the longing for new relationships and the ashes of those that burned out.

This is Dylan light, especially coming after Modern Times. And it's not up there with Time Out Of Mind or Love and Theft as later day classics, but it's a fun ride once you get used to the landscape.