Overcast Sky, Huddle

Dark clouds lowering
We huddle close together
Soft summer shower

Tonight's the Night by Neil Young

A constant theme on this list is the easy availability and ruinous effect of drugs (particularly heroin) on people involved in the music biz. Neil Young saw two friends die from overdoses in a short space of time - roadie Bruce Berry and guitarist Danny Whitten, the latter’s death happening on the night that Young had dropped him from his band Crazy Horse, compounding the grief and guilt.

As a result, this album is a raw howl of despair, with many rough edges but undeniable emotion. The opening and closing title tracks are a direct tribute to Bruce Berry, but other songs also directly reference drugs, especially “Come on Baby Let’s Go Downtown” which makes scoring drugs sound as easy and routine as going to the supermarket for your weekly shop.

Young himself wasn’t immune from temptation, although his drug of choice was booze, with the track “Borrowed Tune” being improvised around the music from “Lady Jane” by the Rolling Stones with the lyrics being a reflection on someone struggling and knowing that they’ve hit rock bottom. It wasn’t a huge surprise that even though the album was recorded in 1973 the record company sat on it until 1975, hoping for something a little more commercial.

Don’t do drugs, kids.

Lush pasture, Bare tree

Down by the river
Where the lush pasture grows sweet
Bare tree bears witness

John Barleycorn Must Die by Traffic

Steve Winwood was one of the most prolific musicians of the late 60s and 70s, working with many respected artists (and Eric Clapton). However, for this album he reunited with Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi to reform their old band Traffic for another spin around the musical block.

The result is a wild mix of folk, jazz and prog, reworking an old English folk song for the title track with the flute playing of Wood giving it a jaunty air. Given that there were only three of them playing on this, there is a fair amount of studio multitracking at work here but it all sounds fine to me. The overall result is an example of three talented musicians at the top of their game playing something of a mixed bag of musical genres.

Sunflower

Sunflower standing
Holding her face to the sun
Summer sentinel

Dirt by Alice In Chains

Alice In Chains got lumped in with the grunge scene of the early 90s but strictly speaking they were considerably heavier and more metal than their fellow Seattle cob-nobblers. They have satisfyingly huge and grinding guitars and only a couple of tracks on this album approach the grimier end of the musical spectrum.

However, the glaring floppy haired elephant in the room is that lead singer Layne Staley was a hopeless junkie. Seriously, if you are in a band and one of your bandmates starts writing songs titled “Junkhead”, and lyrics about “losing my soul, down in a hole” and “walking through the valley of rape and despair” please stop the recording and get them some professional help as soon as possible.

It was tragically inevitable that he would end up dying of an overdose aged just 34 on the anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death.

What a lamestain.

Tuesday Night Music Club by Sheryl Crow

Another laid back chill out album, perfect for kicking back in a bar, enjoying the buzz and having some fun before the sun goes down over Santa Monica Boulevard. According to wiki, this grew out of a casual musical collaboration between friends that Sheryl Crow wrangled into a breezy and confident debut album but lead to her relationship with Kevin Gilbert, co writer and boyfriend at the time, being strained.

As well as the best known track “All I Wanna Do” which was inspired by a poem by Wyn Cooper, the highlight for me was the jazzy “We Do What We Can”.