Down To The Promised Land

 

Around the turn of the century I was totally immersed in Americana and in particular the records released by the Chicago based label Bloodshot Records. I would order most of the CDs they released. Bear in mind that around then you didn't have to sell a kidney to pay the postage.

There was no way I was going to miss the 2000 compilation Down to the Promised Land - 5 Years of Bloodshot Records . For the most part the bands and artists  perform covers or new and unreleased songs on the 40 songs over the two CDs

We kick off with The Handsome Family and a cover of  a Bill Monroe classic country song I Hear a Sweet Voice Calling.

Renee and Brett are followed by Albuquerque band Hazeldine with Unforgiven a song exclusive to this album.

We move over to Disc 2 with Trailer Bride providing a cover of The Gun Club classic Ghost on the Highway

We conclude with a double act who could be described as Americana royalty namely Chip Taylor (the man who wrote Wild Thing and Angel of the Morning) and Mekons/Waco Brothers/Pine Valley Cosmonauts/Three Johns artist Jon Langford who also provided the album cover artwork. Here they perform Brixton a song by Chip.

Spoiler alert - there may possibly be more Bloodshot compilations in this series.

The Handsome Family - I Hear a Sweet Voice Calling

Hazeldine - Unforgiven

Trailer Bride - Ghost on the Highway

Chip Taylor with Jon Langford - Brixton

Rockabilly Riot!

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 44 - Brian Setzer - Rockabilly Setzer! All Original

Long suffering Regular readers will know that my brother is a  fanatical rockabilly fan. Accordingly, over the years I have acquired a number of copies of CDs by Stray Cats and Bryan Setzer. To date the only one I actually had as a proper CD was by The Bryan Setzer Orchestra called Dirty Boogie.

That number has now been doubled as I picked up Rockabilly Riot ! All Original as part of the Newton Stewart haul. From 2014 and on the Surfdog label it was his 9th solo studio album.

It does what it says on the tin as the two tracks below demonstrate

Bryan Setzer - Let's Shake

Bryan Setzer - Vinyl Records

Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures - Volume 2

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 43 - Various Artists - Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures - Taken From The Vaults Volume 2

Another week, another Volume 2 of Deep Soul Treasures -Taken from the Vaults. Unfortunately there was no typewritten letter by Dave Godin tucked into the sleevenotes this time . There are, however, 25 belting tunes given that the standards for this series never slip

Again I am referring you to the Ace Records website for some information on this CD which became Kent Records best seller to date.

As before any and all of the 25 tracks are worthy of inclusion to date. To save me having to make some difficult or random decisions I'm going for three of the songs referred to in the Ace article

You will be glad to note that there are more to come.

Eddie Holman - I'm Not Gonna Give Up

Eddy Giles - Losing Boy

Bessie Banks - Go Now

Hotel, Motel 6

 

Let's face it Hotel California was always going to feature in this series ... just not by The Eagles!

No, I give you Hotel California by Alabama 3 from their 2000 album La Peste. The follow up to the magnificent 1997 debut Exile on Coldharbour Lane it was a major disappointment as were their live shows from this period. Subsequently I have never felt the urge to pick up any more of their records or to go and see them live again.

I was unsure as to how Wooden Wand (the stage name of James Jackson Toth) first came to my attention until I carried out a search on the Blog revealed it was via a Mojo compilation The New Thunder Review. I was sufficiently impressed enough to track down a copy of the 2011 album Briarwood which includes the song Motel Stationary

More hotels and motels next Monday

Alabama 3 - Hotel California

Wooden Wand - Motel Stationary

Cowpunks

 

For this Sunday's Americana compilation I give you Cowpunks  

From 1996 on the UK label Vinyl Junkie  it contains 24 Trailblazing tracks as it says on the cover and here from Discogs is the track list. They also describe the music as Alternative Rock, Country Rock which I think meets my criteria.

The sticker on the back reads HMV £4.99 but I'm pretty sure that I picked it up from Missing Records cheaper than that.

Whenever I have featured this album Freakwater's version of Richard & Linda Thompson's Withered and Died always gets a mention as does Mojo Nixon and Jello Biafra with  Let's Go Burn Ole Nashville Down.

The Coal Porter's have also featured before  with Six Days on the Road but surprisingly He's a Dick by the legendary Americana Supergroup Golden Smog is  only now making its debut on these pages.

Another Americana Compilation next Sunday.

Freakwater - Withered and Died

Mojo Nixon & Jello Biafra - Let's Go Burn Ole Nashville Down

The Coal Porters - Six Days on the Road

Golden Smog - He's a Dick

Saturday Shuffle 116

 

We start this week with New York's finest Jesse Malin. I've seen him twice 16 years apart and both were pretty special. From his 2002 (around the time I first saw him) debut album The Fine Art of Self Destruction here he pays homage to the Queen of the Underground

Jesse is followed by today's cover stars  The Only Band That Matters . Career Opportunities - the ones that never knock, every job they offer you is to keep you out the dock

Apparently The Hicksville Bombers are a traditional Rockabilly band who play a unique style with plenty of double bass and original material.Until the Day I Die is taken from the compilation 21st Century Rockabilly Volume 2 but sounds more Country to me

More Shuffled nonsense next Saturday

Jesse Malin - Queen of the Underground

The Clash - Career Opportunities

The Hicksville Brothers - Until The Day I Die

The Rolling Thunder Review

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 42 - Bob Dylan Live 1975 The Rolling Thunder Review - The Bootleg Series Vol 5

Another week, another album from The Bootleg Series to get your teeth into.

Released in November 2002 as Bootleg Series Volume 5 the album   documents the Rolling Thunder Review led by Dylan prior to the release of the album Desire in 1975,

The Review featured  a diverse cast of musicians and collaborators like Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Mick Ronson, T-Bone Burnett, Rambling Jack Elliot  and Allen Ginsberg in a unique, circus-like atmosphere. Intended as an anti-corporate "travelling counterculture carnival," the tour played in smaller venues and aimed to reconnect Dylan with his audience after a long hiatus from touring. The event's spirit was captured in Martin Scorsese's 2019 Netflix documentary, Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story, which explored themes of memory, truth, and illusion, alongside the music and performances of the tour

The CD contains a fascinating and informative account of the Review by Larry "Ratso"  Sloman 

If 22 tracks over 2 CDs is not enough for you a 14 disc collection  was released in 2019 to coincide with Scorsese's documentary . I can't see that popping up in a charity shop any time soon.

Bob Dylan - Isis

Bob Dylan - Simple Twist of Fate

Bob Dylan - Hurricane