{"id":143,"date":"2012-03-30T20:50:45","date_gmt":"2012-03-30T20:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/?p=143"},"modified":"2016-12-05T23:54:52","modified_gmt":"2016-12-05T23:54:52","slug":"my-all-time-best-americanaroots-albums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/?p=143","title":{"rendered":"My All-time Best Americana\/Roots albums."},"content":{"rendered":"
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While I’m on a list-of-greatest kick…Most of us like lists I think, because they\u2019re so debatable, and second guessable ( Is that a word? Second-guess me.)<\/p>\n

So here\u2019s my Top Ten-ish All Time Best Americana\/Roots Albums<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Band <\/strong>(eponymous) 1969\/also\u00a0Music from Big Pink<\/em> 1968. Yes, THE Band which dug a deep mountain pathway to rough-roots Eden with their bear-hugging vocal harmonies, reelin’ and stompin’ melodies, grab-bag of axes, and Garth’s long, mystery-train keyboards and Robbie’s spittle-pouting guitar.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Paul Butterfield Blues Band<\/strong> (eponymous) 1965\/also\u00a0East-West<\/em> 1966. Pretty damn close to THE Band, depending on my mood. They ground up the blues like deli fools and swung ’em like a buncha punks tough enough to laugh em’ off. Then, on the second album, came the song that sounded like forever in several musical languages, conceived in Bloomfield’s insomnia-raga fever. The the band embraced it with gusto — wrangling, slashing and runnin’ like two trains. Then they let go, mid-stream, and breathed in deep satisfaction over the air-borne beauty they’d unleashed. Finally a flaming exclamation point from Butterfield’s harp. Amen.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Guy Clark<\/strong> — Hindsight 21-20: Anthology 1975-1995<\/em>\u00a02007 I always think of Clark as the true, eagle-eyed craftsman, leaning over, breathing heavy, as he tools a guitar ever so finely and then he sits back and sighs, finger plucks a chord and…out burps the first-phrase of a song with the words fitting its\u00a0softly-sanded\u00a0shoulders like finely-hammered brass filigrees. And then the man grew older, carrying a crusty grace in a lumbering stride, but he kept picking and sanding and driving that L.A. freeway till he finally got killed or caught.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Bob Dylan<\/strong> — \u00a0Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan <\/em>1963\/ or Blood on the Tracks <\/em>1974\/ also Blonde on Blonde<\/em> 1966. This follows The Bard from his peppering the old Smith-Corona like a madman creating scenes as rich and deep as the dreams he was almost afraid to confess but couldn’t help himself. And then two versions of an older man with plenty to say: railing, moaning, bitching and sailing. Blonde 2 is the man falling back relaxing, and finding his long, romantic stroke.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Steve Earle<\/strong> \u2013 Guitar Town <\/em>1986 \/ <\/em>and Copperhead Road <\/em>1988\/<\/em>and \u00a0<\/em>Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band<\/strong> The Mountain<\/em> 1999 Here’s a perfect portrait of the nothin’-to-lose, snot-nosed white trash, who might’ve voted Trump, except this dude really digs into the facts, as if they matter like life. He can stand back and watch his own idiocies like a big brother, and get angry but not foolishly self-righteous. The second time he cranks up a double-barreled road rock band driving with the devil’s right hand and the pistol on his hip. again the big bro named Del saves him, but just barely. Because he’s a strung-out lout just as much as a hung-up heart. And the other brother turns out to be Del and his boys and Steve loves the gathering history of his music like a wolf that just can’t stop howling at that old devil moon.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Flying Burrito Brothers —<\/em><\/strong>The Definitive Collection <\/em>2002 (2 CDs)<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Grateful\u00a0 Dead<\/strong> — Workingman\u2019s Dead<\/em> 1970<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Essential Waylon Jennings — <\/strong>[RCA Nashville\/Legacy] (the 2 CD set)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Robert Johnson — <\/strong>The Complete Recordings\u00a0<\/em>2011 (2 CDs)<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 B.B. King<\/strong> — How Blue Can You Get? Classic Live Performances 1964-1994 <\/em>(2\u00a0\u00a0 CDs<\/em><\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Uncle Tupelo — <\/strong>March 16-30 1992\/ No Depression<\/em> 2003<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ralph Stanley —<\/strong> Saturday Night & Sunday Morning\u00a0<\/em>1994<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Townes Van Zandt<\/strong> — Live at the Old Quarter <\/em>1977\/and Be Here to Love Me<\/em><\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0 (soundtrack) 2007 (2 CD soundtrack)<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gillian Welch<\/strong> — Time (The Revelator)<\/em><\/a>2001 (CD cover photo [below] by Mark Seliger) \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lucinda Williams<\/strong> — Car Wheels on a Gravel Road <\/em>1996<\/p>\n

Yeah, it\u2019s a top 15 plus – and I cheat by doubling up (with slashes) on great albums for several artists, three for Earle. This is an odd compromise between great albums conceived by the artists and compilations that do justice to\u00a0their careers. These are all great introductions and I would hope that those trying out the compilations would search out the artist\u2019s individual album \u201cstatements.\u201d\u00a0 Then you might share your compilations with a budding Americana fan. Among great album statements, you could choose any Dylan album up through 1975 when The Basement Tapes <\/em>was released\u2026<\/em> except Self-Portrait<\/em>. The overlooked Dylan album is New Morning<\/em>. I could’ve included Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison<\/em>, for its bullish historical force, and his\u00a0proud fistful of\u00a0American Recordings<\/em>\u00a0as one of the most wrenchingly grand swan songs ever to take wing over a setting sun. I might’ve included Nancy Griffith\u2019s Other Rooms, Other Voices,<\/em> but it’s currently out of print. It set an early standard for the tributes-to-other-artists\u00a0albums that proliferate today, a notable example is\u00a0Steve Earle\u2019s Townes<\/em>. Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell (Blue<\/em>, probably) and Iris DeMent should be on the list, but I couldn’t really decide on one or two albums, reflecting their consistent songwriting output.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Among the under-represented young artists I might start with Justin Townes Earle’s Harlem River Blues, <\/em>Tedeschi-Trucks Band\u2019s Revelator <\/em>and the Avett Brothers\u2019 Live,Volume 3<\/em>.\u00a0and Old Crow Medicine Show’s eponymous album.\u00a0Not so much country here because the request for a list came from a person on nodepression.com who already knows country. But for those who don’t, investigate Waylon (above), Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Gram Parsons, Willie Nelson, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Dolly Parton’s bluegrass albums, Bill Monroe, \u00a0Kathy Mattea (Coal<\/em>, photo [below] by James Minchin), Hazel Dickens, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Vince Bell, Richard Dobson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, The Carter Family, Johnny Cash, Jim Lauderdale, Dwight Yoakam, Wayne Hancock, Robert Earle Keen, O, Brother Where Art Thou <\/em>(soundtrack)\u2026 \"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Among unlisted roots rockers I\u2019d include Neil Young, John Mellencamp, The Allman Brothers, Los Lobos, Alejandro Escovedo, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, The Flatlanders and John Hiatt, for starters. And among seminal Americana blues\/R&B artists I\u2019d include Son House, Otis Rush, Taj Mahal, Howlin\u2019 Wolf, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Bessie Smith, Junior Kimbrough, Magic Sam, Paul Geremia and Otis Taylor. Among the exciting newer country blues artists is Gary Clark Jr. and Charlie Parr, who’s from\u00a0Minneapolis. Check out Parr’s\u00a0album When the Devil Goes Blind. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Again I\u2019m guilty of “listyness,” but that was the premise, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While I’m on a list-of-greatest kick…Most of us like lists I think, because they\u2019re so debatable, and second guessable ( Is that a word? Second-guess me.) So here\u2019s my Top Ten-ish All Time Best Americana\/Roots Albums –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Band (eponymous) … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-www-kevernacular-com"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2hJWE-2j","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=143"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8289,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143\/revisions\/8289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}