Semi Fresh Jams and Samples

I was hanging out with Colby recently as he was playing some tracks he was working on. He had managed to make samples out of The Wallflowers "One Headlight" that impressed me. He had also played me some beats he was working on with a friend. These beats eventually lead to the recording of an entire track. The results were pretty amazing, especially knowing the young hip hopper was like 14 or 15! I was digging through my record collection today, as well as my large mp3 collection, thinking of songs that I thought would make great samples. Instead, I started rummaging through some stuff I hadn't heard in a really long time. Despite going off track, it felt good to "go back" and hear some of the following songs again.

The first track I've been listening to today is Lucinda William's "Are You Alright" off of her most recent album West. The entire disc (like most of her albums) is fantastic. This particular song really struck me this afternoon.. It made me think of friends I haven't talked to or heard from in quite some time, made me wonder if they too, were alright.

Next is James Taylor's "September Grass" off of his recent studio offering "October Road". If any album had the mellow feel of a fall New England day, it's this disc. It's not uncommon for me to dig this record out when school resumes in the fall and play this cut over and over in the car. Say what you will about Taylor, I think it's a stunning track.

Following that, is Lindsey Buckingham's "Down on Rodeo" off of his "Under The Skin" record. I can't get enough of this album. I must have listened to it a million times before seeing him live last spring and another million following the show. It's one of the few tracks that could've been a Fleetwood Mac song, but lucky for us, wasn't. I believe it to be the most "pop" on the album, which isn't saying much. The entire disc is about as far away from Fleetwood Mac's famous brand of pop music as you can get without jumping genres completely.

Following that, is Paul Simon's soundtrack to his 1980 film, "One Trick Pony". This has got to be his most under-rated album in his entire catalog. The entire album is incredible. The majority of it about being a jaded, traveling musician, stuck on the road. Although seeing the movie adds a little context to the soundtrack, it stands firmly on it's own. My favorite tracks include "How The Heart Approaches What It Yearns" (I believe I played this a couple times on my show), "Late In the Evening" and "Nobody". Simon has a crack rhythm section to give plenty of color to this collection of great songs. Simon wouldn't return to the concept album until 1997s disaster, "Songs From the Capeman".

Another track I dug up was The Pursuit of Happiness' "I'm An Adult Now". I remember first hearing this song in the awful sequel to the Ramones' "Rock 'n' Roll High School". The film was a complete disaster, including Cory Feldman fronting a band attempting to play the prom. I did notice, on a recent viewing of the film (come on, it's a guilty pleasure.. I'm allowed!) that Larry Linville, better known as Frank Burns on the TV series M*A*S*H playing the principal. Anyway, I found the album in a stack I hadn't gone through in forever. The debut album had Todd Rundgren producing. This is a fun track, nothing to take serious here.

Lastly, Mike Nesmith. Yup, post Monkees. His first solo album, Magnetic South, is a masterpiece. That's right, I said it, it truly is a masterpiece. The man deserves some credit for helping to jump start the country rock movement (started by his peers, the Byrds). The album's opening track "Calico Girlfriend" is a great track. It gets better and better with repeated listenings. I highly recommend this album to anyone who digs country rock or those who are into the alternative country scene.