Songs/Albums To Get You Through a Hard Time

[Degenerex]

I'm going through a pretty rough time right now, and I was just wondering what albums or songs you all turn to when you're feeling down. I've loved Sky Blue Sky from the moment I heard it, but due to my recent hardships I've grown to look at it from a whole different angle and now enjoy it even more. I'm basically just looking for some suggestions. Thanks.

[Modified Bear]

Eels' "Electro-Shock Blues" is my number one grieving album. It's a really emotional and personal record -- to the point where I can't bring myself to listen to the whole thing very often -- but it's ultimately very uplifting and has helped me through some rough times more than probably any other record.

 

"Automatic for the People" qualifies, too, in spite of and not because of "Everybody Hurts."

[WaronWar]

Well, if romance is your hardship, I would obviously say Bob Dylan's "Blood On The Tracks" or for a song of his "Don't Think Twice It's Alright."

 

Or if it's more dealing with one's inner darknees, I would say "Pink Moon" by Nick Drake. But warning, it is very dark, but in reality, one can really relate to it.

 

But of my favorites albums that is musically great, and on a personal level I can relate to is "Bad Timing" by Jim O'Rourke. It really hits the strides, the lows, and the highs of life. However, there are no lyrics, but within O'Rourke's guitar playing and backing musicians there are voices speaking into the listeners' ears.

[Degenerex]

hey thanks for the fast replies. I totally agree about Automatic For The People. And WarOnWar, it is not romance, it is actually a sickness in the family... but I've had my share of romance problems and Blood On The Tracks works every time. I'll have to check out the Jim O'Rourke suggestion.

[GtrPlyr]

You could go two ways here:

 

One, you go for the records that mirror your internal malaise and give you comfort in their empathetic tones. Or, you go for the ones that are a bit more spiritually uplifting that try to shake you out of your depression. Of course there are ones that ride the fence too.

 

For the first kind I turn to these ones:

Nick Drake - Pink Moon (heck anything by Nick will do)

Townes Van Zandt - Our Mother the Mountain; The Late Great Townes Van Zandt; Townes Van Zandt

The Replacements - Tim; Let it Be

Leonard Cohen - Songs from a Room; Songs of Leonard Cohen; Songs of Love and Hate

Joni Mitchell - Blue

Big Star - Third

Alejandro Escovedo - Gravity

 

For the 2nd type:

Sly & The Family Stone - Greatest Hits

Bob Marley - (practically any record works)

Harry Nilsson - Son of Schmilsson; Nilsson Schmilsson

Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs

James Brown - Star Time

POWER POP RECORDS: Cheap Trick, Db's, Dwight Twilley, 20/20, Shoes...

 

I hope some of those suggestions help out and bring some comfort.

[mountain bed]

"A box of rain will ease the pain, and love will see you through". (Box of Rain, Grateful Dead)

 

All the best degenerex...hope everything works out ok.

[PigSooie]

I don't have much to offer in albums, but keep your head up.

 

I hope you find some comfort.

[froggie]

cloud 9 - george harrison

[MrRain422]

Lou Reed's Magic & Loss

[Mr. Kinsley]

Tweedy's version of Be Not So Fearful

[W(TF)]

These have helped me immensely at one time or another.

 

Bob Dylan - Modern Times

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Leonard Cohen - 10 New Songs

Fugees - The Score

Townes Van Zandt - Rear View Mirror

Townes Van Zandt - In The Beginning

Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears

Lucinda Williams - Essence

Laurie Anderson - Big Science

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

[mpolak21]

"A box of rain will ease the pain, and love will see you through". (Box of Rain, Grateful Dead)

 

All the best degenerex...hope everything works out ok.

 

Man that's such a beautiful tune...

 

Anyway ditto too Astral Weeks and Electro Shock Blues two of my all-time personal favorites. You can also never go wrong with any Nick Drake ever. For some reason the first Loose Fur album has always been one have turned too when things aren't going that great, as well as both Yankee and A Ghost is Born. Something about the feeling of descent into chaos or in this case noise or Jim O'Rourke "ruining records" but then coming back out of it to Chinese Apple, The Late Greats or Reservations always seems to work for me.

 

Elliott Smith is excellent, Basement is probably his darkest, Either/Or is probably the best place to start though. If it's in anyway romance related, grab yourself a copy of Jeff Buckley's Grace, Dylan's Blood on the tracks has also been mentioned and I second it's nomination. Beulah's Yoko is great as well. Marrissa Nadler's Songs III: Bird on Water is one of my favorite record from this year that I'd place in this category. And of course there's the all occasions swiss army knife album that is Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. I hope everything gets better for you and you can enjoy these with happier ears eventually

 

--Mike

[Mystik Spiral]

if you're looking for misery loves company, i can totally vouch for "electro-shock blues" (fucking beautiful album) or pretty much any elliott smith.

 

more recently, give elvis perkins' "ash wednesday" a spin. i love it, maybe you will too.

[Marijn]

'Pergola' by Johan helped me through some tough times.

[quarter23cd]

For me, Being There was the album I associated with a terrible time in my life and I was unable to listen to it for the longest time. It is back to being my favorite Wilco record, and the songs all have special significance to me because of that.

 

I dunno if I recommend Electro-Shock Blues. That's an album I also bought while going through that same hard time and I remember thinking "Fuck, this dude is more depressed than I am! This isn't helping at all!"

[intodeep]

Temple of the Dog's- Temple of the Dog

[Degenerex]

Thanks for the suggestions and kind words. You have no idea how much this helps.

[cryptique]

I've had a lot of down times in my life, and certain albums definitely helped me through them. I found, however, that the lyrical content of an album wasn't necessarily a big factor for me -- more often I just found an album to latch onto and get completely wrapped up in for a while, dissect it and deconstruct it, and give myself something to do, instead of staring at the walls and feeling sorry for myself. Headphones are helpful for this important work.

 

Here are some of the albums that have fulfilled this function for me in the past ... and like I said, it's not really the content that did the trick in most cases -- just that they came along (or I finally discovered them) and they blew me away at a time when I most needed them to:

 

Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime

Big Star - # 1 Record / Radio City

Spirit - Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus

The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet

Uncle Tupelo - No Depression

The Reivers - End of the Day

Buffalo Tom - Let Me Come Over

Lyle Lovett - Joshua Judges Ruth

Jackson Browne - I'm Alive (the big exception to the content thing)

Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

Robyn Hitchcock - Moss Elixir

The Posies - Frosting on the Beater

Whiskeytown - Strangers Almanac

Gigolo Aunts - Minor Chords and Major Themes

Chappaquiddick Skyline - s/t

 

The Jackson Browne album was really important to me in one of my darkest times, because I was still incredibly depressed over the demise of once-seemingly-perfect relationship that started with a helping hand from one of Browne's earlier albums, Late For The Sky. To have a later Browne album get me back on track from that debacle just seemed right, at the time.

 

There are a lot more that could be on that list, but I've done enough searching of my melancholy past for one morning. I'm happy that I still have these albums to listen to, which, while evoking some memories of darker times, are now part of my life experience and feel like old friends every time I queue them up.

[jhh4321]

I always turn to Ryan Adams. The thing about some of his songs is that you realize, "i may be sad, but definitely not as sad as this guy."

[nettles]

The Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers , there first home recorded release. Something about this one for me, I describe it as sadness in the joy, there's alot of joy and alot of sorrow, and there's life for you. And then when your feeling a little better, throw on Chuck Berry's 'the great 28' and dance around like an old fool.

[BewlayBrother]

I always turn to Ryan Adams. The thing about some of his songs is that you realize, "i may be sad, but definitely not as sad as this guy."

I've always felt this way about Elliott Smith. Looks like I was right, too.

 

Personally, I can't tell you how much the Supremes have done for me. They offer both elements that GtrPlyr mentioned, and even their dirges can be pretty uplifting. Cryptique's mention of Late For The Sky by Jackson Browne is dead on, too.

[Smokestack Joe]

i start with these records:

 

Time Out Of Mind- Bob Dylan - dark, brooding sounds, yet curing

Elliot Smith-Either/Or -Elliot Smith - hit usually hits all the spots

Pink Moon - Nick Drake - the music of this record peaceful/tranquil and drake has a way of calming you

Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams - a drinking buddy

Chelsea Hotel soundtrack - Tweedy/Kotche - the instrumentals put me in a self-reflective mood

[Basil II]

Tweedy's version of Be Not So Fearful

 

 

 

 

yeah.....I 've been singing this to myself alot lately......

 

 

hey De-gen-rex......hope all is good.

 

 

-Robert.

[mountain bed]

The Jackson Browne album was really important to me in one of my darkest times, because I was still incredibly depressed over the demise of once-seemingly-perfect relationship that started with a helping hand from one of Browne's earlier albums, Late For The Sky. To have a later Browne album get me back on track from that debacle just seemed right, at the time.

Oh yeah. Late For The Sky...you can't really say enough about this record. It might be just be my favorite one of all when it comes to magnificent melancholy.

 

Then again, either of John Prine's first 2 albums are amazing too.

[Marijn]

'Pergola' by Johan helped me through some tough times.

 

http://www.esnips.com/web/Johan--------Pergola/

 

Take care, Degenerex.