Vacant Horizon

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-mellenc...t_b_177836.html above is a link to an article by john mellancamp discussing his view of the music business these days. i am fascinated by the whole history of music in the US. i love the history of artists, even shitty ones. i also love the history of how we listen to music and how this has changed with technology of marketing and listening devices. i will post more thoughts, but i wanted to get a thread started on this topic as i always have ideas and wonder what others have to say.

"the wolves and the owls keep me in the blues" what is this?

this has all happened before...

when he wants to he can write an amazing song...farewell transmission, dark don't hide it...at the same time, his heart in that brooding place that is almost impossible to listen to all the time.

thanks!

so what are you thinking of? 48 hours, suicide handbook, destroyer? what's the best. i liked that exile on franklin street at one time.

is this true? anyway, yeah, neil really f'd this up. it's kind of like a greatest hits with basically 90% of it already out there. who wants the BF stuff again? really! and i thought neil's vision was to sit down and listen to the set all the way through or listen to the whole albums in the various sets. that ain't gonna happen now. also, some of his best songs are missing...out on the weekend?! i can see why neil only wanted to do BR...the pictures and clips are gonna be the archives here, not the music. it's gonna be released with a big yawn. i for one am not gonna get it at all.

thanks T.REX.

well said cortez. Two years for vol.2! no! vol. 3 and 4 are gonna be total garbage!

start with nashville moon from the sojourners box set. all the other albums have their peculiarities that can be off putting to a new fan ie: bad female singers, bad male singers, acoustic dirges, etc. they have a new album coming out this year and jason did an album with will johnson that should come out this year too.

does that archive of all his unreleased stuff still exist. i'm thinking about getting back into him. is any of that unreleased stuff good?

exactly. would rather have it like dylan. i'm afraid neil's been putting this off because he can't deliver. there's probably 2 discs worth of unreleased stuff. most of it oldways and bluenote outtakes. i'm sure there are many different versions of songs which might be interesting to hear, but not essential. however, neil doesn't seem to be interested in those. as i've said before, the real revelations from this set already came out, massy hall and fillmore. really want to hear riverboat and i REALLY want to hear toast. that that is archives there.

well, tweedy can't 'really sing' either if we're comparing to opera singers. BUT, tweedy does know how to sound good with his voice and does not make a mockery of himself.

well, the chorus is awesome. the lyrics are pretty bad.

thanks. also, say hi to the rest of you lemmings.

i was really looking forward to beware. heard it was the best yet...but, it's still the same BS. oldham, who can sing if he wants, just rambling. if i was a musician for higher, i would not back this dude. let's be honest, he sux. i am so tired of artists getting all this praise for just being shitty! it's ridiculous and if this is the future of indie music, then i'll just stick with old standbys. when did 'trying to sound' bad and out of key become cool? i'm talking to you will oldham, jim james, conor oberst, etc.

i got their 20th century masters disc which for the most part is good. i've checked out their other albums and they are way hit and miss. i LOVE that song Doraville. living in atlanta, i drive through there all the time. also, their version of spooky is so great!

i think her voice would be too powerful?

hope to see him in atlanta... as an aside, the only really infuriating thing about will is how scattered his music is! all those eps, 7", compilations, singles, albums under different names/spellings....it's crazy. and, some of those random tunes are awesome! for example, his recent single with the bewarers, what ever the hell that is. it's a great song, but not on the new album!!

love love love 89-90 dead. i think i like it more than the 70s! with out a net is just so great!

i know it goes without saying, but there's no jerry! and i just don't think warren fits. he's a rock, blues guitarist...balls to the wall...he can't do some sweet solo on sugaree at all. again, no offense to him. if anything, they should have mark karan at least. he doesnt solo either but at least he's a little lighter to the ears when it comes to dead tunes.

well, i am human and the snare kick just does not do it for me. too bad!

i love warren, but he has no place in the dead. mickey seems like he is really annoying. and, i don't care how much the band rehearses, they are ALWAYS under-rehearsed. they have no business playing big venues either. the dead are done man! i mean, there's no way i could sit there, close my eyes, and smile while warren plays a solo. well that would never happen, because he never does solo in the band anyway. they all just plod along looking at each other waiting to see what to do next.....

i'm hot and cold with zimmy. i've desperately wanted to get in to him for years, but it hasn't clicked. i love greatest hits III and i enjoyed most of modern times. this new one i'm excited about. the cover art is quite masterful, if indeed it is to be the cover. i just love his lyrics. i think i'm gonna force myself to live with highway 61 for a while and see if it takes.

they're definitely some skinny MFs!