March 2007 Newsletter ----------------------------------- Yesterday & Today Records 255A Church St Parramatta NSW 2150 phone/fax: (02) 96333585 email: [email protected] web: www.yesterdayandtoday.com.au ------------------------------------------------------ Postage: 1 cd $2.00/ 2cd $3/ 3-4 cds $5.80* (*Recent Australia Post price increase.) Guess what? We have just celebrated our 18th anniversary. Those who try things we recommend are rewarded. We have stayed in business for one reason and that is we have never attempted to appeal to the lowest common denominator as mainstream outlets do. At the same time we recognise that people do have different tastes and to some CMT is actually good. We also appeal to those people and offer many mainstream items in our bargain bin. But the legends and true country music are our bread butter and will always be. If you see something you think you may like but are worried let us know. If you pass our inquisition we may be able to send it on a sale or return basis. I say inquisition because if your favourite artists are SheDaisy and Rascal Flatts we certainly aren’t going to risk something as precious as Justin Trevino. By the same token we believe great music is timeless and knows no bounds. People may think chuck steak is good until they try the best rump! Recently I had the pleasure of seeing Dale Watson. Before hand I had the added pleasure of sitting in with my compatriot Eddie White (a.k.a. “The Cosmic Cowboy”) for an interview at the 2RRR Studios. Dale is a humble, engaging and extremely likeable man with a passion for tradition. He has in the past presented himself as somewhat of an angry man especially when referring to the Nashville brand of “country music” which as he so correctly puts it (and you don’t need to be Einstein to work this out) is not “country” by any way shape or form. That has now changed, the angry bit that is, and even though he does his “Mister DJ” it is somewhat of a less venomous version. He has declared his music “Ameripolitan”. This is new music with very prominent roots influences. “You can listen to any of my songs and probably every song you hear will remind you of someone else....maybe Conway Twitty, Merle Haggard or Bob Wills and its not an accident because it’s a prominent roots influence to me...that is what the old definition of country was in the first place.” And so say all of us. In other words they can call that Nashville stuff “country”. What we specialise in is Ameripolitan....though we do have some “country” as well. Yesterday & Today Records - the home of Ameripolitan Music! ------------------------------------------------ Cds you don’t want anymore?? We may be interested, especially in box sets and out of print cds. Our prices are a lot higher than used cd stores around the traps but we don’t want every thing. You can email, fax or send a list and we will get back to you with price and instructions. Generally we will also pay the postage costs of getting the cds to us, and you can take payment as a credit on stock or straight payment. ------------------------------------------------------------- 2006 Albums of the Year This is an alphabetic run-down of our albums of the year. Dave Alvin - “West of the West”$32 From the roots rocker of Blasters’ fame to the deep voiced folk styled interpreter and performer as he generally is seen now it has been a long and successful road for Dave Alvin. Here he personalises songs which are well known (CCR’s “Don’t Look Now {It Ain’t You or Me”}) and obscure (Kate Wolf’s lovely “Here in California”) as well as including a couple of his own.”Between the Cracks”, a Tex Mex flavoured Tom Russell co-write is as good as it gets. Jason Boland & The Stragglers - “The Bourbon Legend”$32 Neo- outlaw music has made a comeback over the last few years with the likes of Jarrod Birmingham, Jackson Taylor and Jason Boland being at the top of the tree (must be a Christian name starting with “J” is a pre-requisite). As always those politically incorrect songs are in abundance. This is his best album yet. Brian Burns - “Border Radio” $32 Texan Brian Burns is a close stylistic relative of Tom Russell, Dave Alvin, John Prine etc and writes instant classics that you swear you’ve heard before. 17 songs clock in at around an hour and all are uniformly grand. Texas border music at its very best. Cousin Harley - “Hillbilly Madness” $32 “They” are an exceptional 3 piece rockabilly outfit with a country bent reminiscent of the superb Sonny George. Paul Pigat (aka Cousin Harley) has obviously listened to a little Jimmy Bryant. 15 tracks in all. His, woops their, other album “Jukin’” is just as good. Amber Digby - “Her Come the Teardrops”$32 Second album from the enchanting Amber is right up there with our 2005 Album of the Year “Music from the Honky Tonks”. Yet it is destined never to make any of the published trade publication lists which is a reflection on their lack of merit and nothing more. Again, the album is beautifully produced with the pick of Texas musicians backing her. The great Dickie Overbey on steel continues to impress. And this time we even get a duet with the great Justin Trevino. There are a few minor flaws. She over sings a little on “Bitter They Are” for example but this is just nitpicking. The glorious rendition of the wonderful Loretta Lynn cheating song “Another Man Loved Me Last Night” is as good as it gets or is ever going to get anywhere and anytime. Bobby Flores - “Direct from Blanco County” $32 Equally fine as a vocalist and instrumentalist Bobby stands at the forefront of Texas music. The swing and honky tonk stylings of the 50s and 60s are alive as ever. As always nothing is cooler than a Johnny Paycheck cover and “Meanest Jukebox in Town” is just one of the highlights. Vince Gill - “These Days” $58 Has anyone in any genre put out a 4cd set which isn’t a greatest hits package or a Grateful Dead Live Concert?? Chances are there hasn’t been any. Vince Gill’s “The Key” is a superb album...one of the all time greats and the good news is that 2 of the 4 cds contained here fit in closely with that superb album. Highlight is “This New Heartache” which features the brilliant Buddy Emmons, who shows he is still steel guitar kingpin, Stuart Duncan and Billy Joe Walker Jnr. 43 songs!! Compare our price on this. I nearly passed out when I saw a store often self-proclaiming their greatness had it for almost double my $58. Wayne Hancock - “Tulsa”$32 Like Dale Watson, Heather Myles, Justin Trevino etc Wayne is part of Y & T royalty. Produced by Lloyd Maines and featuring the triple lead guitars of Paul Skelton, Dave Biller and touring guitarist, Eddie Biebel this is one of Wayne’s strongest albums to date. Bob “Texaco” Stafford is back to provide that touch of uniqueness on trombone. It fits in so well with Wayne the Train’s music you just don’t notice there is no fiddle for example. The old style postcard cover is extremely attractive. “No Sleep Blues” is a delightful call and response ode to insomnia. James Hand - “The Truth Will Set you Free” $32 The epitome of the old school “yes ma’am, no sir” school of etiquette James also knows what hard core country music is all about and juke boxes, honky tonks, Texas, lost loves, true stories, waltzes and lies form the bases for his excellent songs. Production by Lloyd Maines & Ray Benson is first class as is the lead guitar of Redd Volkhaert. Jake Hooker - “Faded Lights”$32 Best album cover of the year...but that doesn’t garner a place in the year end best of list. What does is the great Ray Price style vocals and superb song selection, of which only two are originals. Dolly Parton’s classic “Put it Off Until Tomorrow” is performed as a duet with Amber Digby. And it is as good as you’d imagine. “I’m Barely Hanging on to Me”, an early hit for Johnny Paycheck is nailed perfectly. The Texas shuffle lives! Jamey Johnson - “The Dollar” $20 (only a few left at this price) Wow, a major label release in the year’s top album list! Well it makes it on two counts. Firstly it is darn fine music....for the most part anyway. There are perhaps two songs that are programmed for mainstream radio but the rest is uniformly good. He has a superb voice with enough nuances to call it truly original. The second reason for the inclusion is the delicious irony in the fact that Jamey was punted from the label for having a tempestuous affair with a young starlet who was (in Dickensian terms) much more than “Barkus is willing”. “The Dollar” is a great song and being all about family values it seems just a tad unusual that the singer should carry on in a manner totally contra to the spirit of that song. But, there is always room for a bit of good sleaze and this doesn’t leave us disappointed. The strange thing is how quiet this was kept. None of the usual entries in the National Enquirer for example. I mean Wynonna only has to have her third Big Mac, large fries & shake and it makes front page.