My Birthday CD's

My son, Michael, now a youth pastor and a PhD student at Southern, has an encyclopedic knowledge of music. His tastes are eclectic, his understanding deep. He knows his stuff.

Last year, he started making me compilation CD's, a la High Fidelity. The first one he made bore the title, "You Gave Me Life and Raised Me . . . I Made You This CD . . . Now We're Even." I was stunned how expertly he chose music that I had never heard, yet he intuitively knew I would like. Each song said something personal to me, a message from my son, but it also fit my own wide-ranging tastes.

Tuesday was my 48th birthday, so Michael made me a double CD compilation, "You Made It This Far . . . High Five." Now here, for the first time, and for your listening pleasure (sort of) is Michael's list of songs and his explanation of each one. See how many of these songs or artists you know, and why they mean something between me and my son.

Dad,

These two CD’s are small tokens of my affection for you. These are ways that I can take something that I love and give it to someone whom I love. You spend so much time on the road traveling to school and to preach. One of the things that I cherished most from my childhood was the times that I could travel with you and hear you preach. I loved the way that you would sharpen me, teach me, and make me laugh. I can’t take those trips anymore, but since I can’t be with you and Mom can’t always travel with you, I hope that this will provide you a couple of hours of enjoyment and remind you as you sing along at the top of your lungs that you have a son who idolizes you and who is incredibly proud of you and who loves you.

Here is my feeble attempt at liner notes for these albums. I just wanted to explain my choices of these songs and let you know a little bit about the artists.

Michael

“You Made It This Far . . . High Five” Disc 1

The Birthday Present – Loudon Wainwright III – The reflections of a man turning 48 and approaching 50. Few songwriters write with the insight and humor of Wainwright.

Funk #48 – James Gang – I think the title could serve as you theme for the next year. The good news is that the James Gang also recorded Funk #49, so you can be covered next year too.

Stupid Questions – Keller Williams – Not only did I think that you would be impressed by the guitar playing of Keller Williams, but I thought a song dedicated to all kinds of stupid questions that are asked would be appropriate for a professor and one who had to take road trips with me.

Super Freak – Bruce Hornsby and Ricky Skaggs – Bluegrass interpretations of Rick James classics . . . That’s Just the Way It Is!

Country Boy – Albert Lee – You can take the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy. One of the things that I have always loved about you is that no matter how sophisticated your surroundings have forced you to become, nor how brilliant and eloquent you are in a pulpit, lecture or classroom, it is still possible to detect that little boy roaming the banks of creeks of Christian County. Also, Albert Lee is one of the best pickers in music, enjoy.

The Story of Hamlet – Richard Thompson – I know that you love Shakespeare and acoustic guitar and this is the marriage of both. Thompson, a guitar master, tells the story of Hamlet with great wit and in an impressive swing style. You have introduced me to so much great literature, now it is my turn to share a bit of culture with you.

Business Time – Flight of the Conchords – I don’t need to say anything.

Old Turkey Buzzard – Jose Feliciano – Now you can learn more than the chorus. I know how much you love that Letterman has resurrected this Quincy Jones classic, plus it was worth it to see Mom’s face when I told her this was on the CD.

Chan Chan – Buena Vista Social Club – I know that there has always been a little bit of a fascination with Cuban culture for you so here is a collaboration from some of its most accomplished musicians.

A Menina Danca – Novos Baianos – Brazil is in your blood, so I figured that it should be represented on this CD. I have never been a fan of bossa nova like you, but I love the music of the Tropicalia movement.

Os Alquimistas Estão Chegando Os Alquimistas – Jorge Ben Jor – Beautiful guitar and a mingling of bossa nova, samba, and pop. You will have to translate it for me. I hope that it doesn’t say anything too strange.

Stone Flower – Santana – You love Jobim, and you love interpretations of Jobim. I know that you have a vast collection of covers of his music, but to the best of my knowledge this is one that you don’t have, and perhaps were not aware of.

Lost in the Flood – Bruce Springsteen – You know how much I love “the Bruce,” and this is him at his best. Recorded live in London in 1976 this is one of the most passionate performances ever caught on tape by anyone at anytime. Hopefully this will cause his stock to rise in your eyes.

Ocean – John Butler Trio – This is one of the finest performances I have ever heard on a guitar. Butler is an Australian musician who plays the twelve string (among other instruments). The man is a beast and should get more attention stateside.

Falling Slowly – The Frames – I’m sure that you have heard the Oscar-winning version of this song, but this is the performance by Glen Hansard’s band. It has a fuller sound and packs a bit more of a punch.

Mutineer – Warren Zevon – One of my favorite songwriters at his most tender. There is something I love about songs that are achingly beautiful, but still have a mean, cynical bite.

Tower of Song – Leonard Cohen – One of the few songwriters who is truly a poet (and a Buddhist monk). This is his meditation on aging and music. A perfect end to the first disc.



“You Made It This Far . . . High Five” Disc 2

Old Before My Time – The Allman Brothers Band – This song was included for two reasons. Primarily this song was intended as a tongue in cheek homage to your aging, but at the same time you know that no “mixtape” bears my signature without some Allman Brothers. Gregg’s voice conveys the wisdom that your life displays (I mean that as a compliment).

Fire and Rain – Bobby Womack – There is no James Taylor song you haven’t heard or don’t have, but I enjoy this version of a JT classic. Not as melancholy as the original, but a nice touch on a masterpiece of popular music.

Ain’t No Sunshine – Eva Cassidy – Another cover of a staple of popular music. I know that this is one of your favorite Bill Withers songs, but it is a good cover. Eva Cassidy was one of the great interpreters of popular music, but she died of cancer soon after getting her break. A truly beautiful voice.

Been Smoking Too Long – Nick Drake - This Nick Drake outtake never made it on an official album, but it completes this set of “smoky” songs. Drake was another talent not recognized in his lifetime, and one who left too few songs. He was the greatest of the British folk acts of the late 60’s

False Hearted Lover Blues – Levon Helm – After battling throat cancer for years Levon Helm recently released a collection of the songs of his childhood. There is not another voice that conjures up the South like Helm’s. This sounds like something The Band could have recorded in their prime.

Tibdi Waka – Vusi Mahlasela – For years Mahlasela was the champion of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. In his homeland he is called “The Voice.” He recently signed to Dave Matthews' ATO Records label and released his first album in America. His voice is so beautiful and Derek Trucks provides some great slide guitar work to give a raw texture to the music.

Roll Um Easy – Little Feat – One of the greatest bands that no one listens to, except for me and Mark Opatik. Lowell George was one of the greatest musicians of all time and Little Feat was a terrific band. The gentle song with some sweet slide steel is a perfect compliment to Tibdi Waka.

Jesus On the Mainline – Ry Cooder – Now Cooder is known more for his scores for movies like Crossroads and Paris, Texas, but he was one of the pioneers of roots rock. Cooder is the greatest living slide player, and his playing on this traditional spiritual is impeccable. It also serves as a completion to the trilogy of acoustic slide blues.

I’ll Fly Away – The Word – Moving from acoustic slide to a pedal steel is this blazing cover of the familiar gospel tune. The Word is comprised of John Medeski, members of the North Mississippi Allstars, and the star of this song, Robert Randolph. Randolph grew up playing in a Church of God in Christ in the northeast and was discovered at a sacred steel conference in Florida. This song will transport you to church. Someone needs to get this guy to play a revival somewhere around here.

Peace Like a River – Paul Simon – He was called by David Halberstam, “Popular music’s answer to Eliot and Yates.” This song is from his first solo album and is gospel via the Jewish section of Brooklyn.

Treetop Flyer – Stephen Stills – Like Paul Simon, Stephen Stills comprises part of one of your favorite bands. Stills is one of the most underrated guitarists in popular music (cf. Black Queen on Four Way Street). This song is just Stills and a guitar telling the story of a crop duster. It makes me think back to our days in Marion when we would watch the planes fly over the cotton fields, and be glad that we were not in the air with them.

Please Read the Letter – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – A marriage of one of your favorites and one of mine. Who would have thought that the voice of Valhalla would work so well with the voice of Appalachia, but it does. This song was originally done on Robert Plant and Jimmy Page’s album Walking to Clarksdale. I still like this song, even though the Plant/Krauss tour is delaying the hopefully inevitable Led Zeppelin reunion tour.

Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right – Susan Tedeschi – Susan Tedeschi is a Berkeley trained guitarist and singer covering one of Dylan’s greatest songs. Here is yet another way for you to admire his talent without having to listen to his voice.

Crazy – Ray LaMontagne – Ray LaMontagne is one of the leaders of the new singer/songwriter movement and while he has done some great songs on his own, this cover of the Gnarls Barkley tune is awesome. One of the great things about the original was how over the top it was and one of the things that makes this cover so great is how stripped down it is.

Eleanor Rigby – Caetano Veloso – Something – Booker T. and the M.G.’s – Oh Darling! – George Benson – A Day in the Life – Wes Montgomery – This CD opened with my second favorite band and closes with a medley of songs by the greatest band ever. Eleanor Rigby has that samba/bossa nova feel to it and has some great Brazilian guitar work. Something (Frank Sinatra’s favorite Lennon/McCartney song) is performed here by Booker T. and the M.G.’s. They were the house band at Memphis’ Stax studios. This is from their album “McLemore Ave.” which features instrumental covers of songs from Abbey Road. As an aside most of the musicians from Booker T and the M.G.’s were featured in the Blues Brother’s band. Oh Darling is from George Benson’s album “The Other Side of Abbey Road” which is his take on some of the songs from your favorite Beatles album. Benson is the man that Les Paul calls the greatest guitarist of all-time, but Wes Montgomery is the guitarist whom Benson labels the best. Montgomery is noted for how he plays in multiple octaves simultaneously. In my opinion (which I highly value – to borrow a line from you) the Beatles recording of A Day in the Life is the greatest piece of popular music ever recorded and this meditation on the “dailyness” of life serves as an appropriate conclusion to this CD celebrating yours. It is also appropriate that the Beatles should close out this CD. My obsession with music all began because I wanted to hang out with you and you were watching the Beatles Anthology when ABC aired it. So thanks, not for the music, but for all the time you spent with me and all you invested in me to shape my thinking, my behavior, my tastes, and most importantly to guide me in my relationship with Christ, to make me a better husband, a better pastor, and a better man.

I love you dad. Happy Birthday.