Just Jonesing

 

Craving some good ole country love? All you need is the Possum, singing his particular version of the blues. Here's a couple of current faves.

George Jones - She Once Lived Here
George Jones - She Loves Me (Right Out Of My Mind)
George Jones - She Needs Me

Still Worth Doing

Down here at FTSOTS headquarters we completely agree with Kris Kristofferson's maybe not very subtle but most definitely heartfelt motto: if you don't like Hank Williams, buddy, you can kiss my ass. Which is precisely why we present these honest homages to the Hillbilly Shakespeare this fine Monday. "We never met I know and yet I know you well my friend, and if ever I get to heaven on high I hope you'll shake my hand..." Amen to that.

Kris Kristofferson - If You Don't Like Hank Williams
Moe Bandy - Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life
Jimmy Murphy - I Long To Hear Hank Sing The Blues
Stoney Edwards - Hank And Lefty Raised My Country Soul
Freddie Hart - Hank Williams' Guitar
Tim Hardin - Tribute To Hank Williams
Mark Chesnutt & George Jones - Talking To Hank
Waylon Jennings - Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
Johnny Cash - The Night Hank Williams Came To Town
Ry Cooder - Hank Williams

Too Late

Finally got the reissue treatment: the Possum's long lost collaboration with Roy Acuff's long-time backing band the Smoky Mountain Boys. Cool country from the early seventies.

George Jones & The Smoky Mountain Boys - The Great Judgement Morning

Nicer View

Open them windows!  Sit back and enjoy a brand new six pack, my amigos da musica. Cool artwork above courtesy of the talented Tinca.

George Jones - If My Heart Had Windows
Swampwater - Look Out Your Window
George Harrison - Window Window
3/3 - Open A Window
Wire - The Other Window (Peel version)
Simon Joyner & The Fallen Men - Open Window Blues

Heard Voices

Happy Len surprisingly goes all honky tonk on us, tackling country legend George Jones on his classy tour souvenir Can't Forget. Cool choice, maestro.

Leonard Cohen - Choices

On My Mind

"I've been sitting here so long, just remembering that you're gone..." Just got word that the great George Jones has left us. He was one of the finest country singers ever. Rest in peace, Mr. Possum.

George Jones - You're Still On My Mind
George Jones - Just One More

Three Times Two

"Oh I could've loved you better, didn't mean to be unkind, you know that was the last thing on my mind..." Mr. Grand Ole Opry, Mr. T and the Possum team up with the Backwood's Barbie, the Coal Miner's Daughter and the First Lady of Country Music respectively. Three mouthwatering duets.

Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton - The Last Thing On My Mind MP3

Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty - Lead Me On MP3

George Jones & Tammy Wynette - Two Story House MP3

Summer Wine

Some Japanese wiseguy named Hokekyo Sho once proclaimed that ´at the third cup, wine drinks the man´. He got pretty famous with that one, and he just may have been right, too. Which hardly ever stops me from pouring said cup, but that´s another story... Here´s a grand cru, slightly country-flavoured tenpack with a velvety aftertaste about a mighty fine drink. "Strawberries, cherries and an angel´s kiss in spring, my summer wine is really made from all these things..." Salud!

Charlie Walker - Who Will Buy The Wine MP3

The Stanley Brothers - The Little Glass Of Wine MP3

James Luther Dickinson - Wine MP3

Gene Simmons - Drinkin´ Wine MP3

Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Summer Wine MP3

George Jones - Yesterday´s Wine MP3

Michael Hurley - I Like My Wine MP3

Merle Haggard - Little Ole Wine Drinker Me MP3

The Band - Strawberry Wine MP3

Jerry Lee Lewis - Wine Me Up MP3

Wild Weekend Vol. 18

It´s a Wild Weekend once more, with a little something for everyone. The ghost in the iPod lined up some prime HipHop, rock, northern soul, country, Japrock and postpunk for you all this week. Enjoy.

Let´s get things going with a track that never fails to improve my mood. A Tribe Called Quest goes on "Award Tour, with Muhammad my man, goin´ each and every place with the mic´ in their hand..." Just go with the flow. And the cheer continues with that magical San Pedro threesome the Minutemen, and a fine song from their ´commercial´ Project Mersh. D. Boon, Mike Watt and George Hurley had the budget to hire some actual trumpet players here, which works a treat.

A Tribe Called Quest - Award Tour MP3

Minutemen - The Cheerleaders MP3

Around the time they released Hangtime, Soul Asylum was definitely one of the best live bands in the world. I caught them quite often in the late eighties and Pirner and co blew me away every time. The riff-heavy Ode brings back some excellent memories. Ready for some country now? Good. Next up is the one and only George Jones, who found himself a woman as smooth as Tennessee whiskey, as sweet as strawberry wine, and as warm as a glass of brandy. Quite a find, mr. Possum. "And you brought me back from being too far gone..."

Soul Asylum - Ode MP3

George Jones - Tennessee Whiskey MP3

It´s been quite a while since we featured one of these feedback-drenched jewels by that obscure Japanese band with the faux-French name. But here we go again. Close the curtains, sit back and take it all in: Takashi Mizutani is the man. And for the last song of this week´s edition we turn to one of those rare soul grooves they´re so fond of up north. "Here I am on bended knees, I lay my heart down at your feet..." Towel and talcum powder at the ready? Go.

Les Rallizes Dénudés - Flames Of Ice MP3

Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) MP3

Married Man´s A Fool

"Ever since you walked right in, the circle's been complete,

I've said goodbye to haunted rooms and faces in the street,
To the courtyard of the jester which is hidden from the sun,
I love you more than ever and I haven't yet begun..."

Thanks for that, Bob, could not have said it any better myself. As it happens to be my - umpteenth - wedding anniversary today, here´s a tenpack of songs about that weird phenomenon called marriage. Married man may be a fool, Ry, and granted Tom, I do indeed have to ask permission when I want to go out fishin´, but that´s cool with me.

"And I could never let you go, no matter what goes on,

'Cause I love you more than ever now that the past is gone..."

Ry Cooder - Married Man´s A Fool MP3

Bob Dylan - Wedding Song MP3

Tom Waits - Better Off Without A Wife MP3

George Jones & Tammy Wynette - Golden Ring MP3

David Bowie - Be My Wife MP3

Blind Willie Reynolds - Married Man Blues MP3

Freda Payne - Band Of Gold MP3

Jimi Hendrix Experience - 51st Anniversary MP3

Replacements - You´re Getting Married MP3

Moby Grape - Gypsy Wedding MP3

Love is a rose

Read a funny tidbit in the paper yesterday. A court in Iran ordered a man to give his lawful wedded wife the 124,000 roses that he promised in her dowry, after she filed a complaint to claim it.

The woman said she was claiming the dowry because her ´very stingy husband´ would not even buy her a cup of coffee. The court has seized the man's flat until he produces all of the roses. Under Iranian law, a woman can claim her dowry, or mahr, at any time during a marriage or when getting divorced. The gift becomes the property of the wife to do whatever she likes with. A long-stemmed rose costs about $2 in Tehran, the Iranian capital.

Cool stuff, huh? I just hope the lady in question will do the right thing and donate her truckload of flowers to a city hospital. A good year for the roses indeed...

George Jones - A Good Year For The Roses MP3

Neil Young - Love Is A Rose (live ´76) MP3

The Damned - New Rose MP3

The Carter Family - Give Me Roses While I Live MP3

Elvis Costello - The Poison Rose (live ´95) MP3

The perfect country song

Over at the great music blog Setting The Woods On Fire, Paul recently mused about the perfect country song. According to him, four key elements had to be in place: clever wordplay, a storyline based on regret, a stalwart but flawed protagonist and a pedal steel guitar. With added bonus points for mentioning alcohol and reverence for the land (especially the south). His ultimate winner was He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones, and I sure could live with that.

But it got me to thinking. What was my perfect pick? Tough one. A lot of the usual suspects (ole Hank, Cash, Merle Haggard, Waylon) passed the test with ease, but guess what? I also came up with a George Jones song. It´s official: If Drinkin´ Don´t Kill Me (Her Memory Will) is my personal exemplary country song. All necessary ingredients are firmly in place, and on top of that it´s got a line that still cracks me up no matter how many times I hear it: ´with the blood from my body, I could start my own still´. Cheers Mr. Possum! Long may you drive your lawnmower over to the liquor store.

George Jones - If Drinkin´ Don´t Kill Me (Her Memory Will) MP3