Need to get back into an album today or tomorrow.

I want to say that I’ve not had any constructive comments to add but I’ve greatly enjoyed reading along with Moot’s BSM exploration. Proper seat-of-the-pants music journalism. Lester Bangs would approve.

14. Buffy Sainte-Marie - Running for the Drum (2009)



Another long break from the limelight.  The magic is back though, so all missteps are forgiven.  The massive sound approach remains but proves irresistible here - the opening track is [checks modern notes] straight fire (in spite of the fake crowd noise and frat-hop guitars). Even the big broadway-ish numbers worked.  Even the rerecorded Little Wheel Spin and Spin worked!  Thank fuck for that, I was getting a bit worried with only three albums left.  I didn't even mind the cheesy, sleazy guitar bends all over the place, or the fact that the up-tempo tracks always sound one step away from someone running one foot across all the piano keys.  Shouting 'play the blues!' at the band (nine years into the noughties) before stepping away from the mic works here too, with zero cringe; she's absolutely rocking the bandleader thing and I love it (and her).  Still This Love Goes on, the reflective album closer, felt like A Real One and would be a shoo-in for even a single disc best of.       

Not close to her best album, but such a relief that it's good.  They've chucked everything at it and she owns it all.  Really enjoyed this.

Taken a detour with (very recent) YouTube videos about her completely faking indigenous Canadian heritage now.  It's been a journey.  Not sure what to make of it all just yet.  Apparently she was born in America to white parents, so the accusation is she's been playing a role for 60 years.  Also learned the word pretendianism.

Beverly will be back. Couple of other things not worth mentioning.

Beverly will be back. Couple of other things not worth mentioning.

Last two before I back into a hedge.  

15. Buffy Sainte-Marie - Power in the Blood (2015)



16. Buffy Sainte-Marie - Medicine Songs (2017)




NGL the whole heritage business has thrown a last-minute spanner in the works for me.  She's steeped herself in indigenous culture since the 60s and no doubt had plenty of positive impact with causes and charities and so on....but there's some undeniably creepy (sinister?) stuff out there if you dig.  The letter to her brother threatening to expose him as a molester if he exposed her as American?  There's too much to unpack for me, and if I'm honest the fact that she's leaned so heavily into the Cree thing in later years (take a gander at those album covers) makes me feel a bit weird even though she has been effectively living the lie for decades.   

Power in the Blood would have have got a fairly enthusiastic double thumbs up if I'd listened to it yesterday morning, but I went to bed early with a bad case of the runs last night, pulled YouTube up on my phone and stumbled across dozens of fallout vids.  The Uranium War, which is a prequel to an earlier BSM story song called Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee feels particularly ERRRRM now.  More like Bury My Foot in Wounded Mouth, or something.  The title track is an Alabama 3 cover that has everything going on at once - it's almost club ready, with noir country and half a dozen other things running through it.  It's a very good album (top 6 BSM according to my SPREADSHEET), released when she was a mere 74yrs old, but there's a sour taste now.

Medicine Songs is another album that's heavy on re-recorded songs, but no-one needs a write-up on that so I'll leave it there.  

What a ride.  Judging the art not the artist, It's My Way might be the best album I've heard for years and Illuminations is superb.  My current take on the revelations is that she needs to give her head a wobble though.

Thanks.  I enjoyed the listening and chatting.

Running with Bullshit.

Agree though.

Heh, Enigma.  One of the few bands I can recall my nan being into, much to the amusement of my dad.  I remember listening to one of her tapes once in a THEY'VE RIPPED OFF STREETS OF RAGE rage. 



Turns out it was released in 1990.


I've been looking at some lists and the BSM album I hated is often mentioned as a Europa league spot fan favourite.  Wasn't for me, but I'm not hating the one you've posted now...

17. Chris Smither - Time Stands Still



Someone on another forum(!) sent me a hard drive full of music many years ago, which is where I found this guy. His Visions of Johanna cover - possibly my favourite Dylan song - is one of my favourite Dylan covers, and the stunning Leave the Light On (title track from the same album) is probably in my top 10-20 tracks ever too. So it's odd that I've never spent much time listening to his stuff (I only own that album and I've only listened to one other).

I chose this one because it was his next release after LTLO and it's brilliant. There's another great Dylan cover on here (It Takes a Lot to Laugh...), and as a not-so-secret Knopfler fan I was chuffed to hear a version of Madame Geneva's close things out too, which is a great song. The rest of the album is superb though, he's much more than a covers merchant and his wordplay is often wonderful.

@NickMD would like Smither's blues shuffle stuff in particular I reckon.

I’ve been listening to the lead single form it and … meh.



I can see the influences/comparisons, for sure. But that toytown circuit-bent guitar just rubs me the wrong way. Pushes an otherwise pleasant tune into twee territory.

If they tone down the Belle & Sebastian / BMX Bandits for some other songs I’ll get back on the hype train, because the LWB and Altered Images comparisons were bang-on. But on the basis of just this track, I’m disembarking.

New Release day and there’s definitely a couple of albums I’m going to check out.

Moot_Geeza wrote:

Heh, Enigma.  One of the few bands I can recall my nan being into, much to the amusement of my dad.  I remember listening to one of her tapes once in a THEY'VE RIPPED OFF STREETS OF RAGE rage.  Turns out it was released in 1990. I've been looking at some lists and the BSM album I hated is often mentioned as a Europa league spot fan favourite.  Wasn't for me, but I'm not hating the one you've posted now...

I've listened to Enigma pretty much every night for the last 20 years as it's what my wife puts on when she goes to sleep. And it's the sound of her alarm clock. And her ringtone. Bonkers. 

If anyone's scrambling for an album to listen to, I can heartily recommend The Head Hurts But The Heart Knows The Truth by Headache.  A DJ puts AI spoken lyrics over a chilled set of beats; it's weird but very moreish and chills me out like I'm listening to early DJ Shadow. 

Well, lets do this properly now....

Beverly Glenn Copeland.

What a strange career.

2 albums in the 70s, and some guest appearances on other folks records. Some writing (of music I presume) for Sesame Street.

First track of first album is pretty great.



But it's Keyboard Fantasies from '86 that sets the scene for me. released on cassette only and then apparently rediscovered by a Japanese collector in 2015, remaster and re-issues follow and gems are uncovered.

 

In between, there's a very early 2000s, but very good, album, which reminds me a little of Annie Lennox solo, tbh. If we were being unkind we might call it adult contemporary.

Except that some how at damn near 80, he released the amazing The Ones Ahead, with the track above, I'd suggest Transitions is the best place to start. Covers a bit of everything.

TLDR: Amazing amazing voice, consistent quality and a couple of absolute all timer tracks.?wmode=opaque" data-youtube-id="

Just a perfect little album. Title really says it all. And absolutely cracking artwork too. (Have the T incoming.)

Latest album has the below, already posted. Absolutely stunning.



In between, there's a very early 2000s, but very good, album, which reminds me a little of Annie Lennox solo, tbh. If we were being unkind we might call it adult contemporary.

Except that some how at damn near 80, he released the amazing The Ones Ahead, with the track above, I'd suggest Transitions is the best place to start. Covers a bit of everything.

TLDR: Amazing amazing voice, consistent quality and a couple of absolute all timer tracks." frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>?wmode=opaque" data-youtube-id="iz_DdCRxbyE?si

In between, there's a very early 2000s, but very good, album, which reminds me a little of Annie Lennox solo, tbh. If we were being unkind we might call it adult contemporary.

Except that some how at damn near 80, he released the amazing The Ones Ahead, with the track above, I'd suggest Transitions is the best place to start. Covers a bit of everything.

TLDR: Amazing amazing voice, consistent quality and a couple of absolute all timer tracks.?wmode=opaque" data-youtube-id="

Just a perfect little album. Title really says it all. And absolutely cracking artwork too. (Have the T incoming.)

Latest album has the below, already posted. Absolutely stunning.



In between, there's a very early 2000s, but very good, album, which reminds me a little of Annie Lennox solo, tbh. If we were being unkind we might call it adult contemporary.

Except that some how at damn near 80, he released the amazing The Ones Ahead, with the track above, I'd suggest Transitions is the best place to start. Covers a bit of everything.

TLDR: Amazing amazing voice, consistent quality and a couple of absolute all timer tracks." frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>