Last 5 Downloads

I’ve been digging the old stuff of late. These five have been in my cranium iPod for years.

Me and Bobby McGee- Janis Joplin. Written by Kris Kristofferson, a Willie Nelson concert staple, and sung by everybody in the 60’s, it’s Joplin’s scratchy vocals with gospel piano, swirling Hammond, and building electric guitar that transports me. Line: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to loose.” Listen here
And here is the rest of it. Listen here.

I will Follow- U2. Yeah, I don’t own Boy. One of the few times U2 actually sounds much like the punk the claim, this one’s a classic. The Edge’s guitar is more like a rhythm section than a melody or harmony and Bono’s voice is perfect. I love the weird bridge that sounds like a slice of Achtung dropped in. Listen here.

Galveston- Glen Campbell. I love classic Glen, but none seem more dated by over-orchestration than this one. Still, this Vietnam-era song of a soldier remembering that last golden summer while cleaning his gun brings a lump to my throat. When you’re wanting to channel the late-60’s, this is the perfect companion to Me and Bobby McGee. Line: “Galveston, Oh Galveston, I am so afraid of dying.” Listen here.

Most of the Time (Alternate Version- The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8)- Bob Dylan. Like a one-man-band, the harmonica-and-guitar crash over each other and Dylan’s voice I my favorite version of this song that’s really all about the rest of the time. Line: I don't cheat on myself. I don't run and hide. Hide from the feelings that are buried inside. I don't compromise and I don't pretend. I don't even care if I ever see her again. Most of the time." Listen here (not the alternate version).

These Days (Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1)- Jackson Browne. Too easily forgotten, Jackson Browne’s 70’s and early 80’s stuff are ignored at your own peril. Tapping the desperation and fear that lies just below the surface, this one covers similar ground as The Pretender, but, to my way of thinking, holds up better.
Line: “I’ve had a lover, It’s so hard to risk another these days.” “Don’t confront me with my failures, I had not forgotten them.” Listen here.