What happened in the last year that made all of my favorite musicians get really good again? What caused this explosion in creativity? I'm so glad these wonderful old-timers got it right again finally. Woo Hoo. Let's Review....
Neil Young: Prairie Wind **** out of ****
~I just bought this album today and listened to the entire thing the whole way through. This album was so amazing. Neil's best album in possibly over a decade. He had some good cds over the last decade including Silver & Gold, but nothing like this. The songs are a return to "one" of his signiture sounds along the lines of Harvest and Harvest Moon. A wonderful blend of country and rock, the scorching lyrics mixed with a Neil who is on the top of the acoustic guitar world, this is not to be missed. I can't say enough about this album. It sounds so positive and great. The music just flows. Amazing. Go buy now.
BEST TRACKS: The Painter, No Wonder, It's A Dream, This Old Guitar
Bob Dylan: No Direction Home Soundtrack(Bootleg Series Vol. 7)
***1/2 out of ****
~I also Bought this the day it came out and though there are no new recordings on it, the different takes of his classics starting from a recording made at home, leading up through the extremely Famous Version of Like a Rolling Stone (Judas Version). The music in this collection goes along the roots of the film. There are some real gems in this collection that give you a real feel for the live Dylan.
BEST TRACKS: Blowin' in the Wind (Live), Master's of War (Live), Mr. Tambourine Man (Alternate Take), Desolation Row (Alternate Take), Ballad of a Thin Man(Live), Like A Rolling Stone(Live-"Judas" Version)
Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
**** out of ****
McCartney has been slowing down when it comes to releasing records over the past decade or so, and if you don't consider Flaming Pie, he's been releasing some real chumpy stuff. In 1997, he released Flaming Pie after finishing work on The Beatles Anthology. He claimed he got some of that "creative Beatles juice" back for that album. I regard that album as one of my favorite Paul albums. This new album is better. This album has all the great melody that Paul is known for, but finally in a darker format. Paul does not often show his dark side, but on this album, he did. He showed he can go into his subconscious and create some great songs using that part of his mind. A lot of these songs could easily be mistaken for Beatles songs, they are that good. The wonderful finger-picking "Jenny Wren" takes us back to "Blackbird". It should also be noted that on this album, like his first two solo albums McCartney and Ram, he plays all the instruments. Seeing as those two other albums, and Flaming Pie, are my favorite Paul Albums, I think it can be easily said that he knows the key's to push when creating his own music.
BEST TRACKS: Fine Line, Jenny Wren, At The Mercy, English Tea, Too Much Rain, Riding to Vanity Fair
Rolling Stones: A Bigger Bang
NO RATING
~I have not listened to this album yet, but Rolling Stone magazine is stating it might be better than Paul's new album. So, as a big Stone's fan I had to include them on the list of great performers from the "Golden Age" with some great new music. I'll be sure to check them out soon and let you know.
Go Listen To MUSIC!
Enjoy,
The Doc
