1. American Recordings, Johnny Cash. Last night, with a sick baby girl, I packed her up in her car seat and took her for a drive. For all the nonparents, or soon to be parents, this really does work. I guess they like the bouncing around.
Anyway, for some reason, my 2 month old loves Johnny Cash. She will sit in her bouncy seat and listen to him, whether it is Live At San Quentin, American Recordings, or any of the three CD's from Love, God and Murder. But, it's American Recordings that she loves the best. And I do to. Everything you could ever want from Cash is on this CD. A tale about a man who kills his woman for being devilish and mean, songs about coming back from Vietnam, and riveting, dark gospel songs about the Beast in Me and how the Blood washes us as we cling to the tree of life. And, the album standout, about a man who couldn't cry, makes me laugh every time. It's all there, with only an acoustic guitar and a voice deepened and cracked by years of experience.
2. Joshua Tree, U2. Self Explanatory.
3. Ten, Pearl Jam. I don't know if I couldn't live without this album because it reminds of a time when Rock and Roll really meant something, or if just because the album Rocks. But, when stuck for something to listen to, Ten is what I turn to.
4. Ask the Fish, Leftover Salmon. This is my Saturday morning with nothing else to do CD. 100% Cajun Slam Grass
5. For the Record: The First Ten Years, David Allan Coe. I know, it's probably gauche to have the greatest hits of an artist and call it your favorite. But, I have other, later David Allan Coe records and nothing matches the collection found here. He is a hit and miss songwriter and you are better off with just the hits. Besides, "The Ride" gives me chills ever time I listen.
6. This Time, Dwight Yoakam. Let me be clear up front, I love Dwight Yoakam and own just about everything he has put out. But, This Time is his masterpiece. The whole Bakersfield sound comes together on this record and every song is beautifully sung and beautifully crafted. "Thousand Miles from Nowhere," supposedly written after breaking up with Sharon Stone, is a solid gold, make you sad every time song . . . "I've got heartaches in my pocket/I've got echoes in my head/And all that I keep hearing are the cruel, cruel things that you said.”
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Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
Very interesting combo of alt-country and alt-rock. You're a AAA programmer's dream.
2 - C hris
Too bad there isn't a AAA station in OKC, or Tulsa, for that matter. Most of the time, at work I either listen to CD's, Sports Talk, or The Range, which is an alt-country radio station out of Dallas.
3 - cdoug
I think its "Aint that Lonely Yet" which was written about Sharon Stone"...once there was this spider in my bed, got caught up in her web..." - regardless, the album is great.
4 - Eric Olsen
I've always liked the "Western" part of "Country and Western" best - I love Dwight and Buck on "Streets of Bakersfield"
5 - Sigivald
Can't beat Johnny singin' Glenn Danzig songs.
6 - Bobby A-G
Best part of Strait Out of the Box is it's the only place you can get "Check Yes or No."
7 - George Partington
Can't beat Jonny singing Loudon Wainwright songs either.
Nice list; nice and eclectic, with a country bent. The poor sods who dismiss country out of hand miss a lot.
I agree with Eric on Streets of Bakersfield -- killer.
8 - Travis Lee
No Fugazi?! oh boo :(
9 - Yeah
LEFTOVER!
10 - jenny
Everything George Strait produced has been like gold to me.