The College Crowd Digs Me

" Sights and sounds of the people goin' 'round Everybody's in step with the season." --> Gordon Lightfoot <-- When it comes to Gordon Lightfoot albums...I mostly cherry-pick the branches rather than take the whole tree. But what I've grabbed from this Canadian troubadour's catalog are absolutely killer and not to be missed. Lightfoot has always reminded me of Jimmy Buffet...(without the tray of empty margarita glasses piling up around his table, of course.) That's not meant to be a bad thing...just that Gordie generally keeps it a wee-bit more serious. His folk rock presence was most heavily felt in the 70's ...thanks to his first and only #1 album in the States... "Sundown" (1974) . Songs like "Carefree Highway" and the title track are daily radio staples and have remained timeless. Lost Gem:--> "Circle Of Steel" ......is a haunting portrait of a Xmas season for families of the welfare variety. ...

"Y ou'll wipe off that graveyard grin, cause your time is gonna come." --> Willie Nile <-- When Willie Nile hit the music scene, critics were penciling in his name atop the short, but seemingly endless, "The Next Dylan" list ad nauseum. An Excalibur no one really wants and no one's ever owned. Neverthless, Willie Nile has been court and sparks with most critics since releasing his self-titled debut in 1980. He brings songs that play straight and unforced. Rocking with rumble one minute; Cool-burning the next. Like city bruises and small victories...Nile owns the words he sings. We feel it and own them as well. Lost Gem:--> "The Black Parade" ...is a deliciously spiteful reminder to whom it may concern..."What goes around, comes around." Have you heard this gem? Hand me down my walking cane. Tune up my New Orleans drum. They're gonna call my name when the morning comes. I wanna lead. Please let me lead ...

" I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat myself when under stress." --> King Crimson <-- Seven years had passed since the legendary prog-floggers... King Crimson released a studio album. It was 1981. A different climate. And most thought the band was long-gone, boned, and buried. However...nobody informed guitar genius, Robert Fripp , Bill Bruford (drums) Adrian Belew (guitar/vocals) or Tony Levin (bass). "Discipiline" (1981) is a stunning must-own album filled with thrilling maneuvers...both powerful and innovative. And it still sounds amazingly fresh. Robert Fripp, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford, Adrian Belew Fripp spins one guitar web after another...but loosens the reins enough for the others to take their trip. And Belew , Bruford , and Levin sound inspired and dangerous. Lots of noise. No notes wasted. L ost Gem:--> " Indiscipline" ...has all the unnerving ramblings of a psychotic lone...

"I'm never gonna know you now but I'm gonna love you anyhow." --> Elliott Smith <-- This under-appreciated Midwest Magi was wickedly skilled in the fine art of song construction. Elliot Smith had a Brian Wilson ear for arrangements and a fearless John Lennon heart for exposing his wounds. With a gentle voice, Smith delivered lyrics that were both precise and personal ...and yet floated over melodies that were disarmingly catchy and achingly beautiful. And we trust taking the journey into the darker places...because Elliott used words like... R ushlight candles. Elliott Smith was a tortured soul with a complex box of musical bandages...who tried, but just couldn't stop the bleeding.  L ost Gem:--> "Waltz #2 (XO)" ...starts with a lone "boom-chick-chick-boom" drum beat that is quickly joined by a cheerless acoustic guitar. And as ear-worm beautiful, the melody... it is a heartbreaking song. Not about his favorite girl ...

"This ele ctric phase... ain't no teenage craze." --> UFO <-- Another great Classic Rock album from UFO ...and one that never received much radio justice. Plenty of good stuff on... "Lights Out" ...to rattle your ceiling fans and poltergeist your curtains. These guys are terribly underrated and almost faceless in the States.  But just put your ears on...and then try to explain how they don't make the 'A' list. This is UFO Lost Gem:--> "Electric Phase" ...is a great song buried deep on side two. Classic Michael Schenker stokes the blazing rock-oven with churning guitar riffs.   And under-appreciated singer Phil Mogg carries the news that your daughters are gonna reach out and touch someone.  A nice bit of slide and bass underneath, as well. Have you heard this gem? On the wires I can hear you comin' With a rush and a strummin' This electric phase ain't no teenage craze In your house a phone ...

"Roll over lay down and let me in." --> Status Quo <-- Boogie rock-n-roll at its finest. Status Quo absolutely sets fire to your feet with their crankin' fun-time rollers. These guys wail and jam with abandon and must have been something to behold "live". (Anyone care to share!?) The album cover of this 1973 release... "Hello"... might have unintentionally been partial inspiration for another rather "infamous" Spinal Tap album (many albums issued were unreadable)...but no matter. The music is catchy, loose and fun as hell. These guys can play. In fact, guitarist Francis Rossi , is one of the lost diamonds in the kingdom of guitar-spankage . Lost Gem:--> "Roll Over Lay Down" ...an awesome rocker that burns and churns with a great middle. One of the greatest boogie rock songs ever. Have you heard this gem? When I got home that night early one morning Seeing the note written in ink pinned to th...

"The talk. The sex. Somebody to trust." --> Steely Dan <-- Formed in 1972, Steely Dan has produced 9 studio albums. All of them good ones. A few of them great ones. None of them bad ones. Don Fagen and Walter Becker have always set the bar high in their quality arrangements and outstanding production...and it is only by their own high standards one album can be graded over another. Steely Dan is sly kool. Like James Bond . Like the way a drink "on the rocks" holds court over a beer. Steely Dan is meant to be sipped. Never guzzled. Steely has that indefinable attitude that welcomes everyone inside...but only if you're wearing the right shoes. Dan Fagen and Walter Becker "Everything Must Go" (2003) ...might have been Steely Dan's last studio album...but it oozes with amazing confidence as if someone opened the windows and raised the blinds. Melding funky RnB and Rock around some swankin' late-night, wet street ...

"Sleep baby sleep, don't let nothing awaken you." --> Graham Parker <-- Graham Parker has been featured at The College Crowd Digs Me a time or three...and here is another underrated cream of a gem. Unfairly labeled..."the poor-man's Costello" ad nauseum, GP's music is equally as clever and arguably more interesting...taking off from a different airport and top-gunning the towers on his terms. Lost Gem:--> "Empty Lives" ...is an arson fueled indictment on the plethora of sleep-walking media zombies and leeches. Delivered with angry kiss-my-ass urgency and cranked by the blistering backing band...The Rumour. (Sadly the band would break-up a few months later.) I missed the late-night show "Fridays" ...but they did showcase some really good artists.  Below is Graham Parker and The Rumour with all their phasers on stun! Have you heard this gem? I'm just a tick in a box on a questionnaire another mome...

"S in's a good man's brother, but is that right?" --> Grand Funk <-- The thunderous power-trio Grand Funk (Railroad) released "Closer To Home" (1970) ...with the flagship 10 minute title track that closes out the album...and forever cemented their lofty spot upon the h eavy metal rock and roll shelf. With Mark Farner's crank vocals and guitar spank, Mel Schacher's ear-bleeding bass runs and Don Brewer's thunder sticks... GFR were pulling down the elusive 11+ on the amplifier knob. And though mostly panned by critics, GFR could flat out bring the noise. Crunching riffs and bass made for some tasty must-own vinyl for stone-rockers.  And in this instance, the remastered version is stunningly worth grabbing! Lost Gem:--> "Sin's A Good Man's Brother" ...is a worthy opening track that gently tiptoes onto your front porch and then starts kicking the door in. Rarely receives radio p...

"I never heard you shout. The flow of energy was so fine." --> Poco <-- For over 40 years, Poco has been kool-harbingers of the laid-back LA country rock sound. Founded in 1970, this band has seen a who's-who of talented musicians pass through the door. Country rock icons like Jim Messina ..... Randy Meisner ..... Richie Furay and Timothy B. Schmit have all at one time or another been members of Poco . In 1978, Poco's commercial success peaked with... "Legend" ...which went sailing into the Billboard charts on the strength of the Rusty Young penned single... "Crazy Love" . But it is Poco's lesser-known offering... "Head Over Heels" (1975) ...that has aged the most gracefully. And it has recently been welcomed into my "must-own" stash. Lost Gem:--> "Keep On Tryin'" ...is a gorgeous acoustic gem written by pre-Eagle member Timothy B. Schmit ...surrounded by "nail it-to-the-...

"The only thing that I got's been botherin' me my whole life." --> Bruce Springsteen <-- That uncomfortable feeling you get when you've been driving a while ...and you glance into the rear-view mirror and see a cop behind you. You feel guilty...and try to retrace every maneuver you've made for the last 16 miles. Just like that. This is simply Springsteen, guitar...and miles and miles of loneliness. Powerful loneliness. Lo-fi, stripped-down, late-night highway music. Solo...no passengers. Lost Gem:--> "State Trooper" ...utilizes a claustraphobic echoey reverb that is both haunting and effective. And made even more ominous by two relentless underbelly notes. Together it creates a cheap film noir vibe ...listening to private thoughts of a desperate man losing control of his life. Wonderfully unsettling. Have you heard this gem? New jersey turnpike, ridin on a wet night 'neath the refinery's glow Out where the...

"I know a crowd who only live after midnight.   Their faces always seem so pale." --> The Who <-- 1975 was a difficult year for hall-of-fame rockers... The Who. Excessive drinking and partying was the flavor of the day...nearly killing Pete and certainly playing a significant role in Keith's destruction. Friction between Pete and Roger had reached a physical point. And John E. was spending money faster than he made it. Plus the silly cheese hit... "Squeeze Box" ...given to radio from "The Who By Numbers" gave fans little warning of the more introspective and often darker songs found on the album. (It was jarringly NOT the party album buyers were expecting and it unfairly got a bad taint. ) Keith, Pete Roger, John E. But this is inspired Who .  This is Pete struggling to draw a line in "real-life" sand ...with the other bandmates bringing the  right weapons to the fight. This one's for the guy sitting in the back...

"Engines scream You could hear her shout Look Out!  Look Out!" --> Russ Ballard <-- In the early 70s, British rocker Russ Ballard was providing lead vocals and guitar spank for the classic rock band... Argent . Songs like "God Gave Rock and Roll To You" and the familiar thump, thump,thumping of... "Hold Your Head Up" ... never fail to grab my attention. After leaving Argent, Ballard hit the solo road, writing songs and making records that never quite got enough push. If ya blinked, you might have thought he quietly disappeared and was tucked away neatly into the crowded and oft-forgotten Rock-n-Roll footnote pages... BUT HOLD YOUR HEAD UP BABIES! I wasn't hearing Ballard on the radio much...but I was hearing plenty of RB songs recorded by other famous artists. And it was klassic kool learning who some of them were. Many familiar songs... "Free Me" / Roger Daltrey - "New York Groove" / Ace Frehley - "On...

"She's an overnight sensation after twenty-five years." ~ Drive-By Truckers ~ Drive-By Truckers deliver up refreshing "new century" southern rock. Well-written songs...terrifically gritty with a heart-strong urgency to bring it. Their album... "Decoration Day" (2003) is a favorite...and ended up on several... "best of" lists . DBT are good...and don't they love proving it! Lost Gem:--> "Hell No I Ain't Happy" ...is an on-the-road bluesy thunder-bucket of rock-n-roll .  And the expressive title catch-phrase makes for a dandy crank-it-up & pop-another-beer sing-a-long . Have you heard this gem? There’s a lot of bad wood underneath the veneer She’s an overnight sensation after twenty five years Sharp fast curves, power steering unroll that twenty, buy me some beer Ain’t too bad, too bad at all, pick up the phone if I ever call Hell No, I ain’t Happy. There’s a purdy little girl outside ...

"The maids are in the hallway  bangin' on the door askin' what the funny smell was. " --> Joe Walsh <-- Wichita breeze... Joe Walsh ...was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998...as a member of The Eagles. But most Classic Rock aficionados agree, Joe's earlier work as leader of the legendary James Gang ...and... Barnstorm , along with several accomplished solo albums should easily provide more than enough cred for induction on his own merits. Once you factor in his achievements as a producer , along with the ticker-tape list of session work he's done over the years.... and I guess ol' Joe can make as many goofy guitar faces as he wants while laughing all the way to the RnR Hall of Mugs...I mean Fame. Forever adored by his Wichita, Kansas family... Joe Walsh is the real mccoy. Accept no substitute. Lost Gem:--> "Time Out" ...from Walsh's first solo album... "So What" (1974) ...has that ...