Songs That I Like #5: Ryan Adams "Tennessee Sucks"

As Ryan Adams fanatics go, I came to the party pretty late. My first "this is great" moment was hearing "Nuclear" from the Demolition album/demo collection. I dove straight in and when I got to track eight I fell in love. "Tennessee Sucks" is the quite anthem for anyone living in a semi-shitty place in the sweltering heat of June, July, and August. Wisconsin definitely sucks in the summer so I can only imagine what it's like in Tennessee.

Ryan Adams -- Tennessee Sucks
From the Demolition album.

P.S. And like this lone questioner on Yahoo! Answers: "Anybody heard of the Ryan Adams Box Set due late this winter? Know a release date?" This question resonates through the infinite abyss of the universe.

Previously on Songs That I Like:
#4: Shawn Colvin "Sunny Came Home" or a pyro gets revenge.
#3: Van Morrison "Comfortably Numb" or the soundtrack to a car crash.
#2: The Libertines "Good Old Days" or please don't reminisce.
#1: Saves the Day "Freakish" or I think I love you.

Missing Seattle #3: Rainer Cherries Megapost

Both CS and I have written in the past about the things we love to eat and drink and let me add another, Rainer Cherries. Without a doubt, this is the single food item I will miss the most about leaving the Northwest. They are only in season for a few summer weeks each year and I buy them like they are going out of style. Technically they are a combination of Bing and Van cherries and their flavor is the perfect mix of sweet and tart. I am seriously considering figuring out how to get some sent to Lawrence next summer.

The Smashing Pumpkins -- Cherry
From the 1979 EP.

Pavement -- Cherry Area
From the Shady Lane EP.

The Runaways -- Cherry Bomb
From the Dazed & Confused soundtrack.

Neil Diamond -- Cherry Cherry
From the Essential Neil Diamond collection.

Eagles of Death Metal -- Cherry Cola
From Death by Sexy.

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals -- Cherry Lane
From the Cold Roses album.

Garbage -- Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)
From the Beautiful Garbage album.

Monty Python -- Cherry Orchard
From The Final Rip Off.

Skip & Flip -- Cherry Pie
From It Was I: The Best of Skip & Flip.

Cherry Poppin' Daddies -- Cherry Poppin' Daddy Strut
From the Zoot Suit Riot album.

The Crystal Method -- Cherry Twist
From the Vegas album.

Tommy James & The Shondells -- Sweet Cherry Wine
From The Essentials collection.

Spoon -- You Got Yer Cherry Bomb
From the Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga album.

Thompson Out

So Fred Thompson dropped out of the Presidential race and one has to ask why did he even bother? Did he really think that Republicans hated the other candidates so much that he would be elected by default?

In the end he lost his sweet acting job on Law & Order [although I think the series jumped the shark when he joined the cast], his wife is now a punch line for trophy wife jokes, and I'm not sure how many people would hire Fred to do any political consulting for them from now on...

And possibly worst of all, Mitt Romney is now leading in the polls in Florida.

Here is a scary Mary Matalin clip justifying why Fred skipped a New Hampshire debate to go on The Tonight Show...I wonder if she would thinking differently now?

Also this clip has a very, very, very scary sexually over toned comment to her husband James Carville.



Ryan Adams -- Now That You're Gone
This is from Disc 1 of the Cold Roses album.

Wilco -- Wishful Thinking (Live)
This is from the live Wilco double album Kicking Television.

1-9

Notre Dame does their impersonation of the Iraqi Republicn Guard, Nazi Germany, The Taliban, Japan, and Panama by losing to the U.S. Navy and Air Force.

Ryan Adams -- World War 24

I wish I had more information on the impending Ryan Adams boxed set like a release date or track listing...even so whenever the term "abandoned albums" is thrown around I get excited. "World War 24" comes from the Love is Hell which really wasn't an album to start with released as an album to start with but two independent EPs, Love is Hell Pt. 1 & Pt. 2.

Living Dangerously in the U-District

Reason #1,366 why you shouldn't walk around the University District at 2:00AM and reason #765 why I won't miss too much Seattle when I leave...

On Saturday, September 22, 2007 at about 2:00 AM the victim was standing at NE 45th and 15th Ave NE. when approached by a male suspect who asked for a "light".

The suspect displayed a handgun and told the victim to get on the ground and hand over his wallet, which the victim did. The suspect took the wallet and told the victim to walk in the opposite direction. The suspect then fled the area. The victim was not injured. Responding officers were not able to locate the suspect. This incident was assigned Seattle Police incident number 07-391783. If you have any additional information about this crime, please call the Seattle Police at 206-625-5011.

Interestingly, this is from a Wikipedia article about the main street in the University district, The Ave:

Another factor contributing to the Ave Rats' decline was the extension of organized, gang-related criminal activity on the Ave in recent years. Several groups, whose signature graffiti "tags" can be seen throughout the U. District, contributed to the transition in drug sales from marijuana (formerly sold by Ave Rats and transients) to include the organized sale of methamphetamine and cocaine. This transition has resulted in multiple incidents of gun-related violence, as well as obvious deals occurring in broad daylight.[10] Regular visitors to the Ave could often recognize the same individuals standing at or "patrolling" the same areas, day after day.

The U. District has seen these problems recur. As reported in the University District Herald in 1921, librarian "Miss Mary Baker ask[ed] for police protection from gangs of boys" who were causing what is today described as vandalism and harassment. Librarian Clara Van Sant wrote: "Men hang outside the door to smoke, gossip, and pass comments to ladies coming into the library," behavior that apparently continued through the early 1920s.[11]

Ryan Adams -- City Rain, City Streets

Buy Ryan's albums here.

Burning Photographs

I've been returning to this album a lot recently and although Mr. Adams is in my top 10 favorite musicians, it is the only one of his albums that I can listen to straight through without skipping a song or two.

Ryan Adams -- Buring Photographs
Ryan Adams -- Alice (Easy Tiger Bonus Track)

Buy Ryan Adams music here.

Whiskeytown

Although I have all of Ryan Adams solo albums, it is only recently that I have ventured into the work of his earlier band, Whiskeytown. "Midway Park" is the first song off their first album and is my favorite from Faithless Street.

The song takes its name from Midway Park, an area around Camp Lejeune in Adams' hometown of Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Whiskeytown -- Midway Park

Buy Whiskeytown music here.

Easy Tiger Bonus Track

Here is a bonus track from Ryan Adams' Easy Tiger...

Ryan Adams -- Alice

New Ryan Adams

I picked up Ryan Adams' new CD Easy Tiger last night and been trying to listen to it all the way through once but things keep getting in the way...my job, sleeping, short car trips, short attention span...I particularly love the song "Halloween Head" (the one where Adams shoots "Guitar solo") so far and overall my favorite Adams songs are in the the style of his Rock 'n' Roll album...with the notable exception of "Tennessee Sucks" from Demolition...I think I might be the only person who feels that R&R was his best (although I seem to remember Blender giving it 5 stars)...

Ratings:

Entire Album: It's too soon

"Halloween Head": Theodore Roosevelt (It's carrying a big stick...and a guitar solo).

Links:

What Pitchfork has to say

Ryan Adams.com