Court Yard Hounds

Court Yard Hounds consist of sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison. They are also members of The Dixie Chicks. Lead singer Natalie Maines did not feel like making a new album so Martie and Emily decided to branch out on their own. Their self titled debut arrives on May 4th. You can listen to 4 tracks right now on their website to get a feel of what they are all about. Their songs have a real Sheryl Crow feel to them and of course being sisters the songs feature great harmonies. They seem to have created a sound all their own that is completely different than a Dixie Chicks record and I think it works. Check out their website and see what you think.

http://www.courtyardhounds.com/us/home

Ryan Bingham

I have been talking this guy up for months and hopefully after winning an Oscar for his song “The Weary Kind” that was featured in the movie “Crazy Heart” you are finally ready to listen to me. Bingham has released two fine albums over the past couple of years and he is even better live. If you think someone that combines elements of Steve Earle, Bob Dylan, The Band, and Uncle Tupelo sounds like a good thing then I think you should give this guy a shot.

http://www.binghammusic.com/

Otis Gibbs

Hopefully you watched Otis in my Video of the Week last week. Otis is a Troubadour in the truest since of the word. In the tradition of artists such as Woody Guthrie and John Mellencamp Gibbs is the master of observing the world around him and singing about it. He is a champion of the small town and the common man and his lyrics reflect it. When you combine that with his gravelly voice it is an incredible combination. Gibbs is releasing his 3rd album “Joe Hill’s Ashes” officially in May but you can listen to his entire album and even purchase it right now from his website. I encourage you to give it a listen.

http://otisgibbs.com/

Lucero

This band has been around for over a decade but I just stumbled upon them a few weeks ago. The first time I heard them I immediately thought of The Drive by Truckers. The band hails from Memphis, Tennessee and their music has a southern feel to it but it is also laced with rock and punk influences. Lead singer Ben Nichols has a very distinctive voice that sounds like he has smoked a lot of cigarettes and drank a lot of whiskey. It is a voice that blends very well with the subject matter of their songs. The band has released 6 studio albums to date. The album that hooked me is “Tennessee”. I have been wearing it out over the past month. The band typically plays between 150-200 shows a year so there is a good chance they will be coming to a town near you. Check out “Sweet Little Thing” from the album “Tennessee”

Justin Townes Earle

He is named after Townes Van Zandt and he is the son of Steve Earle. That alone might give you an idea of the type of artist Justin Townes Earle is. His music definitely has a roots feel to it but in a completely different way than his father. His voice is a lot less weathered than his dad’s and in a lot of ways might be better. While his dad is more along the lines of “Outlaw Country” Justin’s music is closely aligned with traditional country music. The gift of quality songwriting was passed down to him as well. Earle has released two full length albums as well as an EP. I have been wearing out the EP “Yuma” lately and plan on diving into both of his full length albums as well. Check out the title track from the EP “Yuma”.

The Ravenna Colt

Johnny Quaid was a founding member of My Morning Jacket. After making 3 albums Quaid left the band and basically quit the music business moved to California and became a carpenter. Quaid is back with a new band called The Ravenna Colt. They just released their 1st album and it sounds really good. The band seems to draw from the likes of Gram Parsons, “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” era Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. You can also still hear a strong MMJ influence as well. You can go to their website and get a free download of the song “South of Ohio”. You might want to get that song right now.

http://www.theravennacolt.com/music/

Joe Pug

Pug was in his senior year at the University of North Carolina when he decided to pack his bags, move to Chicago and write and play songs. Early on it seems like a good decision. I have mentioned Pug in some articles I have written before but I think he needs to be mentioned again. He just released his 1st full length album “Messenger” a few weeks ago and it is fantastic. It really seems to pick up where he left off on his EP “Nation of Heat”. The EP was an acoustic affair while on his album he uses a full band for several songs. If you are fan of the pedal steel guitar Pug inserts it just enough to make you want more on the songs “Sharpest Crown” and “Messenger”. Another highlight is the full band arrangement of the song “Speak Plainly Diana” which was also on his EP. Check out Pug doing “Speak Plainly Diana” at a house concert.

Later,

Nick

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Surrender – Cheap Trick

For those of you unaware, rockminutes is based out of the Midwest, which of course is influential in our taste in music. One of the great underrated bands out of the Midwest is Cheap Trick. They really are one of the great bands that were too easily and quickly forgotten. If you don’t have any Cheap Trick in your collection, at the minimum add this one, you will not regret it!

Telephone Line – ELO

I love, love, love, ELO… they are truly one of my all time favorite guilty pleasures; musically. But this is really good song weather you like ELO or not. ELO may not be everyone’s cup of tea but this song is more mainstream and everyone who hears me jamming it in the car says, man that is a great song.

Nothing but Flowers – Talking Heads

The Talking Heads are the musically equivalent to art deco in my opinion… or maybe for my audience, micro brewed beer is a better analogy? Some of it really sucks, some of it is really great and there is very little in-between. This is one of their best songs in my opinion. It’s a song that is post apocalyptic, for real, it is a pretty song in the vain of Mad Max, check it out.

Birdhouse in Your Soul – They Might Be Giants

There is a theme I have going on this week, can you tell? I am going with “artsy” artist that might be mainstream “rock,” but produce some really great tunes. This is the same with this song and band. Let me state I am not a fan of the band, but I do love this song. It’s their best and if you are looking to diversify your MP 3 player and add some really cool wacky stuff, this song is a good bet, or you could go with Istanbul, it’s a little weirder if that’s what you are going for…

Later…

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Last Week I started compiling a list of artists that I would like to see on stage together playing and rocking under the nighttime sky…if only for one magical night. I put them in groups called super groups, to have a fictitious Battle of the Bands rock off; among the great rock musicians of all time. Last week I had the 1st 2 bands listed (see previous article) this week will be the final 2 bands to create the final 4 of the Ultimate Battle of the Bands for next week’s article. These are the individual musicians that I think bound together, would make up the most ultimate bands of all time.


The Green Team Super Group: (The Charisma-Flare Group, the group of artist that would put on the best stage show)

On Drums: Tommy Lee
Tommy Lee of Motley Crue fame is an amazing drummer. But what really sets him apart is his stage presence and showmanship. I remember seeing Motley Crue back in 1989 and Tommy Lee preformed one of the most amazing drum solos of all time. What made this drum solo so amazing is that he did it upside down. He was strapped into a roll cage with his drum set, which was lifted 30 to 40 feet off the ground then spun upside down, like he was hanging from a ceiling, at the same time, crushing the percussions. It was a sight to see, a true piece of stage spectacular and drummer showmanship, the best I have ever seen.

On Lead Guitar: Ace Frehley
Ace is one of the most underrated guitarists of all time. On lead he is a real monster; not to mention a mentor to many of the great guitarist of our generation. Ask any famous guitarist of the 80’s and 90’s and most of them will say Frehley was their inspiration and hero that they tried to emulate coming up and learning their trade. But not only is Ace an amazing guitarist, he is an amazing soloist too. And, Ace puts on one of the great solo-guitar spectacles of all time. During his solo’s, his guitar spits and hums smoke from his fret board, flashes sequenced lights from its body, and shoots out lasers and pyrotechnics from its neck. No guitarist really can pull off the smoking guitar like Ace, he invented it.

On Lead Guitar also: Jimi Hendrix
This group is a group that needs duel lead guitarist. And Jimi is the king of the guitar stage show. He was the original when it came to mesmerizing and audience through playing his instrument with flare and style. He would play his guitar with his tongue, light it on fire on stage, and smash his shit! But he is bigger than his antics; he is the greatest guitar player of all time because of his style and charisma. The stage might not be big enough for Ace and Jimi on it together blowing up their guitars, lighting them on fire, and playing some of the nastiest solos ever recorded…it might be bedlam, but I would still wade through the firehouse and smoke to watch that bad ass demolition!

On Bass: Gene Simmons
Let me start off by saying that Gene really is an underrated bassist. He may not be in the same league as Claypool, Flea or Entwistle, but he is as solid as they come. And again, this is a group based on showmanship, and there may not be a bigger bassist showman than Gene Simmons…the spiting of blood and the breathing of fire and just the icing of Gene Simmons’ on stage persona. He also gives a rock solid bass solo as he flies over the stage on cables. It’s pretty cool to witness live, I know because I have witnessed it well over 20 times.

On Lead Vocals: Steve Marriott
This was a really hard pick for me for a few reasons. Of course I am looking for stage presence and energy, but I also wanted a voice that is complementary to the musical stylings of the band. I had it narrowed down to David Lee Roth, Steve Marriott, Iggy Pop, and Zach De La Rocha. Iggy pop was out due to vocal styling, but man what a performer. I want someone who can rift vocally, so that put Zach and Steve in the lead for sure. But I went with Marriott for his unique voice and amazing talent as a singer. For those of you not familiar with him or Humble Pie, change that quickly…he is amazing!

The Orange Team (The poet/pure artist team)

On Drums: John Bonham
Of any drummer in the super group challenge, John may have the most emotional “feel” for his instrument. Don’t get me wrong, he can hammer the skins, but he also had a great touch and feel for the flow of music. His tempo was perfect on every song, fast or slow. Listen to Kashmir and then Whole Lotta Love then Dazed and Confused. Each song is so distinctive and different in its rhythmic approach. Very few drummers have the poetic feel to change styles and emotion the way John did from song to song. Case and point, Travis Baker…a solid drummer but not someone that can pull off such tempo and percussion-like emotional changes…John was the poet of drumming.

On Lead Guitar: Eric Clapton
Again, like John Bonham, Clapton is a true poet and artist with his weapon of choice. He got the name Slow Hand for a reason. It’s because he has a distinctive feel for the guitar in a way most artist don’t. When he plays it’s like he has a better understanding of the guitar than most people. He is not banging out chords, but moreover making love to his fret board like Casanova stroking the small of a woman’s back. He too has a natural feel that cannot be taught, but comes from the heavens and granted to the few…like Beethoven and Bach, the few kissed by God himself.

On Rhythm Guitar: Richie Blackmore
I just really want to see Blackmore and Clapton on Stage together. When I think of that great 60’s British Invasion rockers, these two are the guitarists that really pushed that style and feel of that movement. Granted, Richie was more hardcore than Clapton, but both hand that Chuck Berry bluesy feel nestled into that British transforming sound.

On Bass: John Entwistle
John was a true artist of the bass. I truly feel he is over looked in pop culture as one of the greats, but my friends, he truly is. The way his right hand could walk the bass strings is something of legend among bassist. In my opinion, he had the best right hand of all time. If playing the bass is writing poetry, than he is the E.E. Cummings of his time.

On Lead Vocals: Jim Morrison
This was too easy. When one thinks of the singer as artist and poet, the first flash of an image is, Jim Morrison. Often overlooked lately, I feel, the Doors lyrically are probably the great writers of songs of all time…ever! Jim was such an amazing front man and performer, that he could capture an audience without music, just him talking in rhyme was enough. He was a poet and truly mesmerizing on stage. I feel the Doors and Morrison have been forgotten in the last 10 years to a degree, and I don’t know why. But without a doubt, one of the greatest front men of all time!

-Aaron

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If you are a fan of true middle America-grass roots rock and roll, you will really love Edwin McCain’s true artistic side. Even though he is from South Carolina, Edwin McCain has a real firm grip on Middle America, with a Midwestern sensibility. Most casual fans no little about Edwin’s body of work in this genre, but if you are a fan on Americana, this is an album, and an artist, you will really enjoy.

The album starts out with Let It Slide. It’s a song in the traditional Americana chord styling in the Mellencamp, John Prine, or Tracy Chapman way. It’s a song about the difficulties of living in a lower-middle class world and surrounded by a lower-middle class mentality. It’s a song about trying to not getting caught up in little town drama and those petty issues that don’t really matter but tend to plague lower class life… Edwin’s vision for this song is; when life is tough you need to let it slide.

This song sets the album up for its deep heart felt messages and its classic acoustic styling. Actually, the entire album is set up by an acoustic sound; there is no electricity on this album. Each song deals with heartache, friendship, and life while expressing these sentiments through stories of racial tension, forbidden love, and everyday situations.

The second song on this album is “Go Be Young”. The song is sung from the perspective of an old man telling a young person to live life to the fullest while you still can… and not to waste it like he did. There is a lot of regret in this song. The narrator of the song says, “Don’t end up like me.” It’s a great song of emotional depth, and one of the anchors of the album.

Track 5 is “Sorry to a Friend” is a re-make of an Edwin McCain original but this time, all acoustic. This is a great version if this song. To me, this is a top 100 song of all time. It’s a song about the criticalness of time in life. Sometimes everything can be perfect except for the timing and it throws everything else off. It’s a deadly-heartfelt song and hits you right in the gut every time you hear it. If you have ever had that one great true love but life and love just never seemed to come together, you will get this song.

Another highlight of this album is a remake of Dire Straits Romeo and Juliet. Mark Knopfler is an amazing musician and song writer. In some respects he reminds me of a poor man’s Bob Dylan. Because he is a pure poet and wordsmith and plays a wickedly nasty guitar medley, but his songs always sound better and fuller when someone else sings them. This remake by Edwin McCain is no different. This is a fantastic remake that is much more soulful than the original. You can really feel the pain in this song, through the lyrics as well as Edwin McCain’s styling vocally.

Overall this is a really good album. And I think it is important you to know the real artist and not the “radio” artist, who in this case, are very different. I think this is a great album to get into Edwin McCain; if all you know is I’ll Be. This album may be, from start to finish, the best album Edwin has ever recorded. It has a smattering of his best stuff from tip to top and I think you will find the real artist that McCain is in this masterpiece.

Later,

Aaron

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10. DiG!

This documentary follows the rise of one band, The Dandy Warhols, and the rise and subsequent fall of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. These bands were friends and rivals coming up at the same time. You get to see how both bands handle their shot at success. It is fascinating to watch The Brian Jonestown Massacre crumble right before your eyes. It is sad to watch but you are unable to turn away. I never really cared that much about either band but this documentary is fabulous.

9. Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Have you ever heard of the Funk Brothers? They have played on an incredible amount of Motown songs in the 60’s and 70’s. This film was shot in Detroit and chronicles the history of this band and how they helped shape the Motown sound. They even reunite for a concert where artists such as Ben Harper, Joan Osborne, Chaka Khan, and Bootsy Collins play with them. Motown is one of the most important movements in the history of music and this movie really helps show how Motown came to be.

8.This is Spinal Tap

Even though this is a mocumentary it is still one of the greatest music movies of all time. It follows the career of the band Spinal Tap and shows behind the scenes footage of what really goes on in the music industry. even though this movie is fictional many bands over the years have said it portrays the music business and being in a band as accurately as any movie they have ever seen. I would say if you have not seen this movie you quite possibly are not the type of person I want to hang around.

7.Woodstock 3 Days of Peace and Music

This movie documents the 3 day festival that not only defined a generation of musicians but defined a generation. Woodstock was quite possibly the most important 3 days of music any of us will see in our lifetimes and the fact that it was documented so well is incredible.

6.Some Kind of Monster

This films follows Metallica has they make their album “St. Anger”. I do not like Metallica but this film is unbelievable. You get to see James Hetfield go into rehab and emerge as a big pussy. You see Bassist Jason Newsted quit the band and watch the remaining members try out bassists to take his place. They hire a therapist for several thousand dollars a week to get them to be able to even sit in the same room together. They even bring back Dave Mustain to talk about his time in the band and getting fired. This is a 2 hour long train wreck that culminates with the release of a really shitty album. No matter what you think of this band you must see this movie.

5.Runnin’ Down a Dream

I have never sat through anything lasted 4 hours and wished there was more. This film documents the rise of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and every single minute of this film is great. There is great footage all the way back to Petty’s childhood and great interviews from Petty and the band members. The highlights of this movie are the firing of original drummer Stan Lynch, the origin of the song “The Waiting”, and the sad demise of bassist Howie Epstein as he loses his battle with heroin. If you are even a casual Petty fan you should check out this film.

4. No Direction Home

Martin Scorsese directs this film that documents Bob Dylan between 1961-1966. There is plenty of footage that has never been seen before in this movie. There are some great live performances as well as behind the scenes footage of him making some his classic albums. It also documents Dylan going electric which I believe is one of the most important moments in music history. You see how much some people hated it and even heckled him during his live shows. You also get to see how unapologetic Dylan and his band are about going electric.

3. I am Trying to Break Your Heart

This starts out as a film documenting the making of “Yankee Hotel Fox Trot” by Wilco but as the filming goes on it becomes so much more than that. You see the struggle between for power between band leader Jeff Tweedy and multi instrumentalist Jay Bennett during the making of the album. The struggle comes to a head when Bennett gets the boot from the band and Tweedy seems like he could not be happier about it. You get to see Tweedy struggle from migraines to the point of vomiting and finally you see the record label refuse to release the album due to the fact it was not “commercial” enough. Wilco ends up streaming the record for free, a move that had never been done by a band before, and then releasing it to critical acclaim and album sales that exceeded any of their other albums to date.

2. The Last Waltz

This was tough to put at #2 because I love this film so much. Martin Scorsese is at the helm again. He chronicles The Band’s final concert and the history of the band. The concert itself is a cavalcade of rock royalty. Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, Ron Wood, and Ringo Starr all perform with the band. They not only play classics from The Band but they play some of these musicians classic songs as well. It is just an incredible experience to watch and never gets old. It makes me love The Band so much and every time I watch it I am sad to see the show end.

1. Gimme Shelter

This film documents the 1969 tour of the Rolling Stones including the tragic show at Altamont where a fan was killed by security. By the way security for the show was The Hells Angels. You actually see the stabbing on video (during “Sympathy for the Devil”) and you get to watch Mick Jagger watch the stabbing for the first time on video as well. This film really lets you see the inner workings of this band as well as the disastrous decisions that were made to put on the free concert at Altamont. The concert took place in December of 1969 and many people consider this concert the moment when the Peace and Love era of the 60’s ended. I watched this video about 15 years ago or the first time and it made an impression on me that has lasted to this day and that is why I consider it the greatest music documentary of all time.

Later,

Nick

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Billy Bragg & Wilco – California Stars

Folk singer Billy Bragg and Wilco made two albums using Woody Guthrie lyrics that had never been put to music and both albums are incredible. “California Stars” is off of the the 1st album “Mermaid Avenue”. There is something about this song that makes you feel good when you listen to it and it has become a staple at Wilco’s live shows over the years.

Hootie and the Blowfish – Michelle Post

Before you make fun of me for putting this song on here give it a listen. This is my favorite Hootie song. It is a 2:20 country jam with plenty of banjo. It is unlike anything they play on the radio and every time I hear it I want them to make an entire of album of music just like this song.

James Taylor – Fire and Rain

I am sure you have all heard this song a million times just like me but I still love it. It is impossible to get sick of this song. I also like that the song was allegedly written while Taylor was in a mental institution. If that is the case I would say this is the greatest song of all time that was written in a mental institution. If it is not true it is still a great song.

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When I was young, there was a show on Saturday afternoons called; Battle of the Stars. It normally aired about this time of year…in the late winter or early spring when there was little competition from the NFL or MLB. The show would take professional athletes from other sports and pit them against other top athletes in random challenges and courses. It was an entertaining show back in the day. I was thinking of that show the other day and it got me wondering…what if we had a Rock and Roll All Star Challenge. Who would be invitees to participate? What artist would compete on the same teams? I loved the idea. So I thought for this week, I would do a mock up of an All Star Battle of the Bands (based on the premise that each artist was in their prime and/or still alive).

The Red Team Super Group: (The Rhythm and Percussion Band)

On Drums: Keith Moon
Truly one of the greatest drummers on all time, Keith Moon, would be the Anchor of this squad. No one kept a back beat and perfect timing like Moon did. Keith’s hard driving double bass rampages, along with his symbol crashing are legendary. He played fast and furious and would make the engine hum on this team of Rock and Roll elites.

On Lead Guitar: Angus Young
Angus is not one of the top 10 guitarists of all time, but I would place him somewhere in the top 25. But what makes him so stellar in this line up is his ability to play lead, rhythmically. Let’s face it, when we hear ACDC it’s not the overpowering guitars that make this sound great, but moreover the band’s rhythm. Maybe no band in the history of music uses a steady constant meter as well as ACDC does. That, placed with Moon’s style, would be super nasty!

On Rhythm Guitar: Malcolm Young
Here’s the deal, you cannot have one with out the other. The two of them together is what makes the ACDC so great. Malcolm has the uncanny ability to use silence as a note. Think of all the ACDC stop-starts and that moment of silence between notes, it is a great tool utilized by Malcolm. Imagine that coupled with a Keith Moon drum fill…that would be tragically bad ass!

On Bass: Flea
Again, Flea is one of the greatest of all time in his respective genre. This band that I am compiling on the red team is a band based on percussion rhythm and beat. That is why Flea is a must for this band. This Super Group is really based on a soulful beat with a rock tempo and Flea exemplifies that better than any other bassist I can think of. His slapping style, energy, and drive with Moon’s double bass and the Young’s perfect drive makes this a nasty band to contend with.

On Lead Vocals: Janis Joplin
Janis is the perfect fit for this band. This band is based on drum patterns, rhythm, and a strong back beat, and would need a really bluesy-driving whisky voice that can sing the blues and keep perfect time. Who else would be better? Of any Rock and Roll singer, I think she may be the best at converting classic blues styling into a driving rock vocal, and that is what this band is. Janis fronting this cast of musicians, gives me chills just thinking about it.

The Blue Team (The Lead/Solo team)

On Drums: Neil Pert
This team is put together of some of the greatest soloists of all time. Neil Pert can run a drum solo better than anyone I have ever heard before, ever. Not only is he hands down the greatest drummer of all time, he is the greatest drum soloist of all time too. There are not many 5 minute drum solos I can listen too without losing a bit of interest, except one from Neil Pert. He is simply the best!

On Lead Guitar: Eddie Van Halen
Could you imagine Neil just crushing a drum solo and then handing it off to Eddie Van Halen! That would be so nasty I couldn’t even begin to imagine it. There are a lot of arguments about who is the greatest guitarist of all time, but there is little doubt about who has the nastiest-fastest fingers of all time, and that is Eddie. I would love to see Neil and Eddie on the same stage, that energy would be amazing, and your ears would pay the price with no complaints.

On Rhythm Guitar: Izzy Stradlin
Even though this is a band based on great solos and personal musical abilities, this band would need some internal glue. That is why it would need the greatest Rhythm guitarist of all time, and that my friends, is Izzy. GNR is one of the best bands of all time and don’t underestimate the important of Izzy’s playing; it really made the band what they were historically. Songs like Sweet Child and Paradise City where held together by Izzy’s driving rhythm of those songs. Sometimes that is over looked because you have Slash and Axl out front, but if you listen to GNR closely, you will know what made that sound so pure, and that was Izzy laying down his ground work of perfect rhythm and style.

On Bass: Les Claypool
If you want to hear some of the greatest bass solos ever recorded, listen to some Primus songs. Les Claypool is a master of many different bass stylings. From a funkadelic bass slapping, to flamenco styling, to mix-finger tapping, Claypool is a true master. I believe he and Neil Pert could do a “dueling banjo” type song or solo, going back and forth, that would be unbelievable and one for the ages.

On Lead Vocals: Freddy Mercury
As one of the greatest front men of all time, Freddy’s voice is an instrument all by itself. Imagine Freddy doing a scat-rift to Claypool’s bass solo or Pert’s drum solo. It would be in-fucking-credible. This group would be so nasty you may have to wipe the poop out off your pants after they left the stage. I feel each member would play off the other to make a performance for the ages. Because not only are these musicians great, they are musical genius’.

-Aaron

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I will preface what I am about to write with the fact I am a huge John Mellencamp fan. He was the first concert I ever attended in 1983 and I have lived in Indiana virtually my entire life where liking if not loving Mellencamp is almost as synonymous with the state as not being able to buy beer on Sundays. With that being said I am also a huge Bruce Springsteen fan and he was the second concert I ever attended in 1984 on the “Born In The USA” tour. I love both artists and have enjoyed nearly everything they have released but I have a problem with the way these two artists seemed to be viewed by fans, the music industry, and the critics.

Over the years Bruce Springsteen has been viewed as Rock royalty but for some reason Mellencamp is not. He always seems to be just slightly below Springsteen on the musical food chain and I do not agree with it one bit. While Springsteen seems to be the voice of the working man nationwide Mellencamp seems to be the voice of only the farmer in the Midwest. If you listen to both of their lyrics I do not think Mellencamp’s lyrics are any more limited to the Midwest than Springsteen’s lyrics are limited to the state of New Jersey. Yes I know Mellencamp plays Farm Aid every year but aren’t there farmers pretty much everywhere in this country including New Jersey? I have even read over the years where Mellencamp has been called a poor man’s Bruce Springsteen which is ridiculous. There are several other instances in which I think Mellencamp gets the shaft as well.

When it comes to politics both of these guys are known as very liberal. When Mellencamp records a song like “To Washington” or campaigns for John Edwards he receives death threats from people. When Springsteen campaigns for Barack Obama he is seen as the guy campaigning for the “working man”. Hell Ronald Reagan even mentioned the song “Born in the U.S.A ” in his campaign back in 1984. Reagan obviously never listened to the lyrics in that song.

When it comes to their body of work I firmly believe Mellencamp’s catalog easily stands up to Springsteen’s catalog. I am not trying to take anything away form what Springsteen has done. He has obviously made some outstanding albums. Nebraska, Born To Run, Born In The U.S.A just to name a few. His work cannot be questioned at all. I happen to think Mellencamp has produced music that is every bit as good as Springsteen. Springsteen’s work in the 1970’s cannot be touched by Mellencamp since Mellencamp was really just getting started in the late 1970’s. Springsteen was recording long before Mellencamp but from the 80’s on Mellencamp has releasing music as good as Springsteen if not better. Even though Springsteen released Nebraska, Born in the U.S.A and Tunnel of Love in the 1980’s they do not compare to the American Fool, Uh-Huh, Scarecrow, Lonesome Jubilee, and Big Daddy. Mellencamp was at the top of his game lyrically and his band was every bit as the mighty E-Street Band. After playing a concert at Madison Square Garden in the mid 80’s a New York music writer called Mellencamp’s band the “greatest road band in the world”. That is quite a compliment in Springsteen’s back yard.

In recent years both of these guys have stepped outside the box and recorded albums that are much different than what their fans are used to hearing. In 2003 Mellencamp released “Trouble No More” which was an album full of cover songs. He covered artist such as Son House, Robert Johnson, Lucinda Williams, and Hoagie Carmichael. This album was was a far cry from the days of “Hurt So Good”. Mellencamp’s band was playing vintage instruments and really trying to recreate the feeling these songs created when they were originally recorded. It was a creative highpoint for Mellencamp and his band, yet it went almost unnoticed by most critics and was not met with the reviews it deserved. Three years later Springsteen releases “We Shall Overcome-The Seeger Sessions”. It was a tribute to folk singer Pete Seeger. Springsteen used banjos, horns, fiddles, and washboards on the album. It was a very good album but of course critics cannot say enough good about the album. It was a considered a real triumph by the critics. The funny thing is that Mellencamp started releasing albums with washboard, fiddle, and banjo back in 1987. As a matter of fact I believe when historians look back on the creation of the “Americana” movement many of them will point to the influential albums Mellencamp released in the late 1980’s as a catalyst for that movement. Once again Springsteen looks like a genius and Mellencamp is overlooked.

As I stated at the beginning of this story I do want you to walk away from this article thinking I do not like Bruce Springsteen. That is not the case. The point I am trying to make is that if you look at the careers of both of these men I think you will see that the work of Mellencamp is every bit as good as the work Springsteen has produced. I want you to look at Mellencamp as more than the guy that sang “Pink Houses” and he definitely should not be looked at as a step down from the Springsteen. He is every bit as creative and important as Springsteen has been. Springsteen is looked at as an American hero in the music world and I believe Mellencamp deserves the same consideration. Hopefully in time that will happen.

In the meantime checkout Mellencamp doing a Springsteen song.

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