The College Crowd Digs Me

"I'd cried for every lesser thing... Whiskey, pain and beauty." --> Guy Clark <-- Guy Clark is a kool hoss singer/songwriter...and he is absolutely one of the best. C rafting each song with a surgeon's steady hand and a rebel's defiant turn, it's no wonder other artists line up to cover his songs. And "Live From Austin, TX" is a great Guy Clark introduction. LOST GEM:--> "The Randall Knife - Live" ... a deeply personal telling of a father's passing. The song captures perfectly how hurt feelings left unspoken can turn into a powerful matzo ball. Have you heard this gem? My father had a Randall knife My mother gave it to him When he went off to WWII To save us all from ruin If you've ever held a Randall knife Then you know my father well If a better blade was ever made It was probably forged in hell My father was a good man A lawyer by his trade And only once did I ever see Him misuse t...

"But the beaver was quick And grabbed him by the kiwis."  --> Primus <-- Primus unfairly lost a few followers when they began stepping outside of the imaginary genre thrust on them. Like a sponge, they were drawing ideas from other styles of music. Not stealing...Pushing. Stamping the envelope and pounding it in the mail slot. This is fresh..wicked...smart stuff and well worth owning. LOST GEM:--> "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" ...funky groove that trips with a devilish quirk that would've made Zappa smile. Bassist-extroidinare Les Claypool . ..turns loose like a Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil. And guitarist Ler LaLonde shreds in and out like customers at a hooker's factory. Silly, sure...but silly ain't never sounded this good! Have you heard this gem? Wynona's got herself a big brown beaver and she shows it off to all her friends. One day, you know, that beaver tried to leave her, So she caged him up with cyclon...

"You're like a woman I've never seen." --> Doobie Brothers <-- The definitive Doobie Brothers album... "The Captain and Me" (1973) ...is filled with their trademark twin guitar and twin drum assault. (This is pre-Michael McDonald stuff, babies...and that's a good thing!) While Tom Johnston (vocals and guitar) was fronting the California band...the Doobs sounded like The Eagles on a Red Bull chug-fest.   Plus, they had a touch of Southern spirit in their sound. With underrated Patrick Simmons adding to the fiery guitar churn ...it was no wonder the Doobie Brothers were quickly endorsed by the wildest of biker clicks and chicks. LOST GEM:--> "Dark Eyed Cajun Woman" ...creates a mysterious vibe...with vocals and melody perfectly matched for the ride. Timeless and lures me to the car for leaving... Anywhere!  Windows down. Thunderstorms, be damned. Have you heard this gem? I think back to the time When I first s...

" I'm the perfect sample of a bad example gone forever from their graces ." --> Rodney Crowell <-- Since 1972, Rodney Crowell has been writing and performing great songs, yet somehow has always been one of Americana music's best-kept secrets . (His rebellious nature at the direction mainstream country was taking probably had a lot to do with it.) After signing with an indie label... Rodney made jaws drop and eyes raise with his brilliant release... "The Houston Kid" (2001) . Quite simply, from beginning to end... RC ...hangs the laundry out in the wind for all to see. The songs feel real...and personal. Fact or fiction? I imagine a little bit of both. LOST GEM:--> "Highway 17" ...This raw acoustic story song is filled with raw memories of bad people, bad deeds...and bad luck .  His chilling delivery is  like a festering wound... and rides shotgun with the best. Have you heard this gem? I put away fifteen grand doing ...

"But I'm a howler monkey.   Moreau's half & half-man." --> Blue Oyster Cult <-- I've always been a fan of Blue Oyster Cul t . But sometime in the eighties, BOC sorta fell off my rocknroll radar after back-to-back (to back)...dud releases. It was only by lucky accident , I stumbled upon their "Heaven Forbid" (1998) CD and was able to take it with me on a 3 hour Tulsa road-trip.   Surprise ! Blue Oyster Cult are swinging their scythes again. Original members... Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma ...have unburied the coffin. LOST GEM--> "Damaged" <-- is classic Buck Dharma with an agenda. Bruising churn & burn riffs quickly push a left-of-center intro out of the way. Hey, I admit it. I thought this band was over the hill. But these cemetery chord bangers are fit...and don't they know it. Have you heard this gem? Wish I was a better person With more control Turn the other cheek When the punch comes, r...

"I wish I could please you tonight.  But my medicine just won't come right." --> Richard & Linda Thompson <-- When Richard Thompson & Linda Thompson went into the studio to record... "Shoot Out the Lights" (1982) ...it would be their final album together. The marriage was failing. Emotions were running raw. The album is a frustrating journey to the inevitable.   No amount of bandages will ever be able to stop the bleeding. Yet through all the hurt and sadness, when it comes to their craft, the couple obviously trusted each other to bring their best Richard & Linda Thompson LOST GEM--> "Walking On A Wire" <-- is an emotional chainsaw. Linda's vocals are both sultry and weary. And finally, accepting . The couple's harmonies are back of the throat...and personal. Finally, enough can not be said about Richard's guitar work . It is an exercise in restrained pain. And then, on the final refrain...he joi...

"They all come down on the Kool-Aid Kids. Gonna try  and steal their dimes." --> Bloodrock <-- This was Bloodrock's third album and the band's last truly solid release.  And to be sure, '3' is definitely worth seeking out for several cuts worthy of purchase. Bloodrock Lost Gem:-->   "Kool-Aid Kids" ...has a jazzy churning riff that makes for some tasty highway-driving fuel. This is early 70's classic rock from "another" little ol' band from Texas. The firehouse keyboard play is provided by underrated Stevie Hill . Also guitarist Lee Pickens compliments with some delicious interplay. "I vant to drink your Bloodrock." Have you heard this gem? My nose is long and my temper is short And I want to know everything. People like lead boots are holdin' me down Gonna drown if it ever rains. Well I ain't lyin' there's good folks dyin' 'cause everybody's got a way....