Musical palate cleanser, you ain’t a beauty edition

Every time I hear this song, I remember how much I loved the opening verse, right from the moment I first dropped needle on vinyl:

The screen door slams, Mary’s dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey, that’s me and I want you only
Don’t turn me home again, I just can’t face myself alone again

I was lucky enough to hear the Boss play this live, in what seemed like the split second between Born to Run’s release and it exploding (along with his career) commercially, at the old Agora in Atlanta.  Small venue, and a stage close to the audience.  In a way, it was almost too intimate.  I loved every second of it.

“Thunder Road” is one of those songs that’s burned on my soul.  It’s a part of my life in some deep-set way.  It’s what makes pop music great.

Man.

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Musical palate cleanser, north of the border edition

Blue Rodeo is a Canadian group that’s right at home playing alt-country.  This is the opening track from their 1993 album, Five Days in July, called, strangely enough, “5 Days in May”.  Make sure you listen to the blistering guitar solo that closes out the last two minutes of the song.

If that solo’s not the best Neil Young tribute I’ve ever heard, I don’t know what is.

Musical palate cleanser, Skydog’n edition

If you don’t own Duane Allman — an anthology, you should, if only for this:

The instrumental break at the five-minute mark is just the set-up for what’s to come three minutes later.  Which is friggin’ otherworldly.  As far as I’m concerned, the last three minutes of that song could go on forever.

In other words, if you haven’t, go buy the album already.

Blessed peace

Things will be looking up this fall when I watch college football, it seems.

BREAKING: Jim Connor, who spent the past several years playing football fanatic Larry Culpepper in Dr. Pepper commercials, has told me that the company will not feature Culpepper in commercials going forward. Connor says the decision “Rocked my world” and was “An incredible gig.” pic.twitter.com/an0DJBKO0w

— Adam Carriker (@AdamCarriker94) May 21, 2018

Now if they would just get that “dilly, dilly” crap off the air…

Musical palate cleanser, so let us not talk falsely now edition

I’ve currently got a Warren Zevon mix playing in the car, so I went looking for something to share this morning and found a cover I’ve never heard before, of his doing an acoustic “All Along The Watchtower”.  It’s pretty much what you’d expect, which is to say eerie and intense.

Musical palate cleanser, go ahead and shake it edition

This one popped up on my drive into work this morning and I thought I’d share.

From one 0f my favorite Dwight Yoakam albums, the 1993 release This Time, here’s Dwight channelling his inner Rolling Stones, with “Wild Ride”.

Musical palate cleanser, Tex-Mex edition

This may be the most cheerful sounding song about a break up you’ll ever hear.

BREAKING:  Raul Malo has one helluva set of pipes.

Here’s a bonus live, hornier version for ‘ya.