Cd Project Thing - Johnny Cash (and the end)

So, I think it's fair to say that I'm done with this, at least for a while. I have no interest anymore. But I wrote this last entry up a few weeks ago, so might as well post it...


Johnny Cash - "At Folsom Prison"
Johnny Cash - "At San Quentin (The Complete 1969 Concert)"
Johnny Cash - "The Legend Of Johnny Cash"


I guess I always sort of knew Johnny Cash, but I didn't actually consider owning any until after seeing "Walk The Line". I saw it, liked the music, and then got as a gift "The Legend Of Johnny Cash", a career-spanning comp. I liked most of that, too, and so from BMG I got expanded copies of his two live prison albums (because I thought the tracklistings were interesting, and beaus they were mentioned in the movie). I don't know what else to say, really. You'll see it more later on, but I have a bit of a thing for old country. Don't worry, though, I still despise the modern stuff.

CD Blogger Thing #29 - Camper Van Beethoven, The Cardigans, The Cars

Camper Van Beethoven - "Cigarettes And Carrot Juice: The Santa Cruz Years" (5 Discs) (UK Import)
Camper Van Beethoven - "Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart"
Camper Van Beethoven - "Key Lime Pie"

Camper Van Beethoven were/are a strange band, but I really do like them quite a bit. Thing is, they're one of those bands where I never remember how much I like them except when I'm listening to the cds. The above is basically all their output until recently (when they reunited and have released a few things since) (the box set is their first 3 albums, a rarities album, and a live album), and I don't dislike any of it - it's like Cracker, but a little stranger. Seven discs of it does seem a bit excessive, though, but there isn't really anything I can easily cut. I have avoided the new stuff, though, even though I haven't heard any of it.

My Camper Van Beethoven story: Marisa and I saw then on a reunion tour a few years ago. The show didn't even start until like 11, and then they played for an hour, then went to take a break. After like 45 minutes, we were amazingly tired, so we just left, and we have no idea how long it even took them to get back on, or how much longer they played.

The Cardigans - "First Band On The Moon"
The Cardigans - "Gran Turismo"

I have a hunch that most people only know The Cardigans for "Lovefool", but they're really a pretty good band. "First Band On The Moon", which contains "Lovefool", is mostly poppy and upbeat (although plenty of the lyrics aren't), while "Gran Turismo" (which Marisa bought, despite hating "Lovefool", because she liked the excellent single (and minor hit) "My Favourite Game") adds some bits of techno and electronic stuff. Like so many bands lately, I can't see myself running out and buying tons more, but what I have, I like.

The Cars - "The Cars Anthology: Just What I Needed" (2 discs)

You know the Cars, of course. And two discs might be a tad bit much, but they have every Cars song I could possibly ever want, and the filler isn't so bad, either. It's pretty much a must for any fan of the 80s or power pop, isn't it? Where are Fountains of Wayne without the Cars?

CD Project Thing #28 - Cake, Camera Obscura, Isobel Campbell

Cake - "Motorcade Of Generosity"
Cake - "Fashion Nugget"
Cake - "Prolonging the Magic"
Cake - "Comfort Eagle"

Cake are a band in need of a good "best of" collection. They're a
pretty unique act, and they have some worthwhile stuff. The ratio varies
a bit from album to album, but all of them have a few songs that are
really exceptionally good, along with a bunch more that strike me as
basically filler. On two albums (the just-sold "Motorcade Of
Generosity" and the long-ago-sold "Pressure Chef"), the ratio wasn't
quite high enough, but on the other three, they're just barely worth
owning. I'd probably sell in a second with a well-put together comp,
though.

Camera Obscura - "Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi" (Spanish Import)
Camera Obscura - "Underachievers Please Try Harder"

Camera Obscura - "Let's Get Out Of This Country"


In the beginning, Camera Obscura basically sounded like a female-fronted
early Belle and Sebastian. This connection was made even stronger by
the fact that they're from the same place as Belle and Sebastian, and
worked with (and apparently even dated) some of the members. This is by
no means a bad thing - while they never quite reached the heights of
early B&S, they did solid work and are well worth checking out.
Starting a little in their second album and really taking off in the
third, they've moved away a bit from the Belle and Sebastian sound to
one of their own, sort of a mix of 80s music and country. It works
well, and "Let's Get Out Of This Country" was one of the best albums of
2006.

Isobel Campbell - "Amorino"
Isobel Campbell - "Time Is Just The Same" EP

If you'd asked me even a few months ago, I probably would have said I really liked Isobel Campbell. Thing is, that's part-true, part-lie, and part-wishful thinking. The truth is, I do really like her, but only in her poppier moments. Her Belle and Sebastian songs and her poppy Gentle Waves and solo stuff is just astounding. Trouble is, it's become quite clear that she doesn't especially WANT to do poppy stuff, so she spends all her time doing jazz and folk and blues, and it ranges in quality from "pretty good" to "really really awful and painful".

"Amornio" was her first official solo album, although "The Gentle Waves" were essentially her solo project before this. It has a few decent moments (although a few of the best are re-recorded Gentle Waves songs), but it largely filled with Isobel being all jazzy and uninteresting. To me, the best song is easily "Time Is Just The Same", a duet with Eugene Kelly of the Vaselines, and it's also the most poppy and commercial sounding. Therefore, it's probably not a big surprise that they released a 6 track EP of it. I actually like the EP a lot better than the album (which is why I'm keeping it and selling the album) - bonus tracks include a cover of "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" and her first collaboration with Mark Lanegan, who'd she go on to make a whole (good) album with (see below).

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - "Ramblin' Man" Single
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - "Ramblin' Man" Single (UK Import)
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - "Ballad Of The Broken Seas"

So like I said, Isobel Campbell went and made an album with Mark Lanegan (ex-Screaming Trees). You'd sort of think it maybe wouldn't work, since the two are such different people and have such different voices, but it's actually surprisingly pretty great. It's sort of folky and bluesy, which like I said doesn't work when she does it alone, but here it does, and it's easily her best solo album (if it really counts as a solo album). The best track is a cover of "Ramblin' Man" by Hank Williams (and it was one of my favorite singles of all of 2005), but it's probably not good enough that I have to keep the singles, seeing as they're backed with tracks that are pretty inferior to what's on the album.

Isobel Campbell - "O Love Is Teasin'" EP (UK Import)
Isobel Campbell - "Milk White Sheets"

These two releases (apparently recorded at the same sessions, and sharing a few tracks) lean mostly towards the "folk" side of the scale. It's not as good as her pop stuff, but it's certainly better than the jazz, so it JUST barely hangs on in the collection, for now. All I know is, from now on, I check into Isobel Campbell cds before I buy them...

CD Project Thing #27 - Bush, Kate Bush, Busytoby, The Buzzcocks

Bush - "Sixteen Stone"
Bush - "Razorblade Suitcase"

Shut up. When I was younger, I quite liked Bush, and I still think they're pretty good (at least these two albums). My first ever concert was Bush and Veruca Salt at the Rosemont Horizon. And it was a good show, dammit! Shut up!

Kate Bush - "The Whole Story"
Kate Bush - "This Sensual World"

Bush, I like. Kate Bush, not so much. These are Marisa's, and she quite likes them, but I mostly don't. A few of the hits are ok, and it's pretty obvious she was probably a big Tori influence, but she's not very good. Oh well.

Busytoby - "It's Good To Be Alive"

Busytoby were a short-lived side-project of of Joe and Amanda from Wolfie and The Like Young. The sound is much closer to Wolfie, except with more girl vocals and lyrics that make a little more sense. It's a concept album - the concept being, the two of them (who were engaged at the time) were an old married couple looking back at their life. It's quite a fun little indie-pop album, it's a shame they never made another (and they recently claim to have retired from music entirely. Jerks. At least issue a b-sides cd!). Not really involving this cd, but I'll point it out anyway - "Put In The Reel", from Sarge's "The Glass Intact" (and the happiest song Elizabeth Elmore ever recorded, I think), is a cover of a 7" from Busytoby. Yay Champaign bands!

Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady (Australian Import)

This is a reissue version, with an extra 8 tracks to the original. It's a great album, consisting of all the singles from the original run of the Buzzcocks and their b-sides. The Buzzcocks don't seem to be as popular as many of the late 70's punk bands were, but they're one of my favorites, because they tended to be a lot more poppy than some. I really ought to look into some of their old albums some day.

Cd Project Thing #25 - Blur pt. 3, David Bowie, Billy Bragg, Billy Bragg and Wilco

Blur - "Think Tank"
Blur - "The Observer 5 track EP"

"Think Tank" is the most recent Blur cd to date, and it really sounds very little like Blur. Graham Coxen is barely on it at all, and the whole album sounds like they were hanging around in Africa way too much. It has it's moments, but they're capable of much more. The EP was released in a British newspaper and consists mainly of a few alternate versions and b-sides of stuff from these sessions. It's probably pretty expendable.

David Bowie - Best Of Bowie (2 discs)

It's a career-spanning David Bowie collection, do I really have to explain it? It's chronological, so it has it's ups and downs (much like his career), but overall it's pretty good. I can't imagine needing any more Bowie, but I'm glad I have this.

Billy Bragg - "Reaching To The Converted"
Billy Bragg - "Must I Paint You A Picture?" (3 discs) (UK Import)

Billy Bragg is one of those artists that I never remember how much I like until I'm listening. In a more perfect world, I'd own all the recent 2 disc reissues of all his albums. In this one, I'm making due with a b-sides/rarities disc and a 2 disc best of (with a rarities disc). It covers the bases pretty well, especially of his early (and best) period. So, come on, who's up for buying me his two box sets of reissues?

Billy Bragg and Wilco - "Mermaid Avenue"
Billy Bragg and Wilco - "Mermaid Avenue Vol. 2"

Here's another story I'm sure you know. When Woody Guthrie died, he had tons of lyrics with no music. Years later, his daughter asked Billy Bragg to write music, and he asked Wilco to help. Then, in various combinations (sometimes just Billy Bragg or Wilco, sometimes together, sometimes with some special guests) they recorded these two generally pretty great albums. I don't know what to say about them, really, except they were basically my doorway into Billy Bragg. Some of the Wilco stuff on here ("California Stars" in particular) is among their best, even though the songs aren't entirely theirs. Overall, a must for fans of either artist.