DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
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DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
The scene: A Best Buy parking lot in Rochester, Minnesota. It has a blazing hot day in June of 2007. Our hero, is a 21 year old recent college grad spending his summer laboring on the family farm in McIntire, Iowa. Two days ago he bought an album titled "A Blessing and a Curse" by some band called The Drive-By Truckers based on a recommendation from a Pearl Jam message board. In the 40 odd minutes it took to listen to that album, his musical mind was blown. Fueled by an insatiable hunger to hear more of this revelation, he has returned to gain more DBT. As he pulls out of the parking lot and onto the highway, he cracks a beer. His brother, riding shotgun, puts the cd into the stereo.
WHOOOAM (thump thump thump thump thump) DA NANANANANANA
"Where the Devil Don't Stay" announces its self with unbridled power. Shit just got real. For our hero (musically speaking), nothing will ever be the same again.
Scrap like a wildcat fights to the end, trap a wildcat and take his skin
There might not be a finer opening to a DBT album than "Where the Devil Don't Stay". You're hit right from the start by pounding bass drum, and a raw hanging chord. Cooley's gravelly boom kicks in, and a searing slide riff courtesy of Mr. Isbell start melting your face. Right away, its clear that the title of this album is going to be instructive of the subject matter. Cooley, with the help of his uncle, spins a tale of a Dust Bowl era 'Bama moonshiner in the depths of despair, and cuts it with a bit of the socio-economic commentary that we would continue to see throughout the album. "Tell me why the ones who have so much make the ones who don't go mad?". The track soars with some great harmonies courtesy of Shonna Tucker and Mrs. EZB, and the tangled three guitar melee of Cooley, Hood, and Isbell. All the way to the end, this one fights. Like a wildcat. Needless to say, our hero was floored.
It sounded like a train...
"The funnel cloud touched down, 5 miles north of Russelville". One thing about DBT that sucked me in so immediately was the way that they painted these incredibly specific stories that made me feel like they were talking about something specific that had happened to me. It is the mark of a truly gifted songwriter to write in this fashion. To be able to make a specific tale that has a personal meaning to people who had nothing to do with the event in question is rare. Just 3 years prior to our hero placing this album in the car stereo, he witnessed an F3 touch down 5 miles north of Riceville, and destroy quite a few folks' homes and farms. It was as if Patterson Hood was speaking directly to him about something he'd witnessed. The hooks sink deeper.
John Henry was a steel drivin' bastard, but John Henry was a bastard just the same. And an engine never thinks about his daddy, and an engine never needs to write his name.
It's rare for music to move me to tears, but I choked up a little on that June day when I heard this line for the first time. Here was this soaring, driving song that was catchy as hell. As the clear theme of the investigation of Southern/American mythology becomes more apparent, you get floored by this commentary on the nature of man v. machine. John Henry out-worked that machine, but he was human. He was susceptible to the same weaknesses as all of us. To be loved, to advance himself. To be more than just a device that cranks out production. It was a brilliant slice of insight on one of the most well-known stories in American folklore. "Who the fuck writes songs like this?" our hero implores.
God damn Reagan's in the White House and nobody gives a damn...
The "holy shit" tour continues. Shakey-esque chords come slashing through the car speakers. An ominous, steady drum beat. A half-spoken first-person perspective story of some poor sumbitch who knocked up his old lady, lost his job, started selling drugs, and then lost his wife. But the cocksuckers in Washington are more concerned about sending a guy to the moon than they are about fixing the real, every day problems of the folks here on Earth. Each verse builds a sense of urgency, highlighted by spiking, staccato chords in the final verse. Building, and building until the protagonist of that story (or the dude channeling him) unleashes one of the most hair-raising howls in rock and roll history.
Damn it Elvis, don't he know he ain't no Johnny Cash?
Hey, its the dude from the first song! I like this guy. By this point, our fearless hero is reading the liner notes. He is now aware that Sam Phillips once had a contest between the Golden Quartet of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins of giving a Caddy to the first person to get a gold record. Ironically, the winner of that Caddy would end up being the guy who achieved the least amount of commercial popularity out of the group. Brilliant one-liners abound as this Mike Cooley guy waxes poetic on the legacy of Sun Records, and making good on your word.
I never saw John Wayne on the sands of Iwo Jima...
Whoa? What is this? The rock and roll bustle has been slowed down to a quiet, haunting acoustic riff accompanied by the dude from the Reagan song singing in some high-ass falsetto. "This is interesting", our hero thinks to himself. Here we see Patterson Hood tearing into another myth. I knew that John Wayne had got exempted from serving in WWII, so the above italicized line rang pretty true. Too often it seems that people leach onto the romantic re-invention of catastrophic events in history, and the real story, as told by those who were there, ends up falling through the cracks of time and memory.
To be continued...
WHOOOAM (thump thump thump thump thump) DA NANANANANANA
"Where the Devil Don't Stay" announces its self with unbridled power. Shit just got real. For our hero (musically speaking), nothing will ever be the same again.
Scrap like a wildcat fights to the end, trap a wildcat and take his skin
There might not be a finer opening to a DBT album than "Where the Devil Don't Stay". You're hit right from the start by pounding bass drum, and a raw hanging chord. Cooley's gravelly boom kicks in, and a searing slide riff courtesy of Mr. Isbell start melting your face. Right away, its clear that the title of this album is going to be instructive of the subject matter. Cooley, with the help of his uncle, spins a tale of a Dust Bowl era 'Bama moonshiner in the depths of despair, and cuts it with a bit of the socio-economic commentary that we would continue to see throughout the album. "Tell me why the ones who have so much make the ones who don't go mad?". The track soars with some great harmonies courtesy of Shonna Tucker and Mrs. EZB, and the tangled three guitar melee of Cooley, Hood, and Isbell. All the way to the end, this one fights. Like a wildcat. Needless to say, our hero was floored.
It sounded like a train...
"The funnel cloud touched down, 5 miles north of Russelville". One thing about DBT that sucked me in so immediately was the way that they painted these incredibly specific stories that made me feel like they were talking about something specific that had happened to me. It is the mark of a truly gifted songwriter to write in this fashion. To be able to make a specific tale that has a personal meaning to people who had nothing to do with the event in question is rare. Just 3 years prior to our hero placing this album in the car stereo, he witnessed an F3 touch down 5 miles north of Riceville, and destroy quite a few folks' homes and farms. It was as if Patterson Hood was speaking directly to him about something he'd witnessed. The hooks sink deeper.
John Henry was a steel drivin' bastard, but John Henry was a bastard just the same. And an engine never thinks about his daddy, and an engine never needs to write his name.
It's rare for music to move me to tears, but I choked up a little on that June day when I heard this line for the first time. Here was this soaring, driving song that was catchy as hell. As the clear theme of the investigation of Southern/American mythology becomes more apparent, you get floored by this commentary on the nature of man v. machine. John Henry out-worked that machine, but he was human. He was susceptible to the same weaknesses as all of us. To be loved, to advance himself. To be more than just a device that cranks out production. It was a brilliant slice of insight on one of the most well-known stories in American folklore. "Who the fuck writes songs like this?" our hero implores.
God damn Reagan's in the White House and nobody gives a damn...
The "holy shit" tour continues. Shakey-esque chords come slashing through the car speakers. An ominous, steady drum beat. A half-spoken first-person perspective story of some poor sumbitch who knocked up his old lady, lost his job, started selling drugs, and then lost his wife. But the cocksuckers in Washington are more concerned about sending a guy to the moon than they are about fixing the real, every day problems of the folks here on Earth. Each verse builds a sense of urgency, highlighted by spiking, staccato chords in the final verse. Building, and building until the protagonist of that story (or the dude channeling him) unleashes one of the most hair-raising howls in rock and roll history.
Damn it Elvis, don't he know he ain't no Johnny Cash?
Hey, its the dude from the first song! I like this guy. By this point, our fearless hero is reading the liner notes. He is now aware that Sam Phillips once had a contest between the Golden Quartet of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins of giving a Caddy to the first person to get a gold record. Ironically, the winner of that Caddy would end up being the guy who achieved the least amount of commercial popularity out of the group. Brilliant one-liners abound as this Mike Cooley guy waxes poetic on the legacy of Sun Records, and making good on your word.
I never saw John Wayne on the sands of Iwo Jima...
Whoa? What is this? The rock and roll bustle has been slowed down to a quiet, haunting acoustic riff accompanied by the dude from the Reagan song singing in some high-ass falsetto. "This is interesting", our hero thinks to himself. Here we see Patterson Hood tearing into another myth. I knew that John Wayne had got exempted from serving in WWII, so the above italicized line rang pretty true. Too often it seems that people leach onto the romantic re-invention of catastrophic events in history, and the real story, as told by those who were there, ends up falling through the cracks of time and memory.
To be continued...
- dime in the gutter
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
gets hitched and still serves up this beauty. hero indeed.
love me some work in progress features.
word up.
greasy record.
love me some work in progress features.
word up.
greasy record.
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
dime in the gutter wrote:gets hitched and still serves up this beauty. hero indeed.
love me some work in progress features.
word up.
greasy record.
X2 Can't wait for the rest.
Don't hurt people, and don't take their stuff.
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
dime in the gutter wrote:gets hitched and still serves up this beauty. hero indeed.
Let's not go overboard with the praise. The wedding was just a formality.
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Nice work so far. I'll wait to pipe in until Iowan completes his thoughts
And I knew when I woke up Rock N Roll would be here forever
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Diggin this. Keep it up Hawkeye.
E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
I love this approach! Can't wait to read more.
Matt playing like an evil motherfucker w/ rhythm with a capital MPLAEMWR.
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Great job, loverboy
“Excited people get on daddy’s nerves.” - M. Cooley
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Great job so far. I'm gonna hold off until its done except to say this is my favorite record by my favorite band. To me this is them at their very best so far. I love everything about this record.
A single shot rifle and a one eyed dog.
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
I ain't livin' like I should. A little rest might do me good.
I hate to admit this, but our hero hits the "skip" button about 1:30 into this one. It just didn't move him that day. Sometimes, that's how the music works (or doesn't). The good news, folks, is that some 5-6 years later, after news of Jason Isbell's new-found sobriety, marriage, etc and the toll that his partying days took on him, it becomes obvious that this song was the product of a man struggling to deal with the expectations that had been heaped upon his young shoulders. He was the child prodigy. The dude who wrote fucking "Outfit" for Christ's sake. Sometimes its just too much. "Is that the man I want to be?" Suddenly, a song clicks. Better late than never, I guess.
Ain't nobody gonna stick anything up your ass if you remember who your friends are
Our hero grew up on a farm in rural Iowa. Between towns of 20 and 140 people, respectively. His parents did their best to show him a lot of the outside world, but no matter what, your world is going to be small with such a genesis. The Stateline Gang was something foreign to him. "Walking Tall" was some movie he assumed sucked because the Rock was in it. Who the fuck is this Buford Pusser? Who are the boys from Alabama? Who gives a shit. This is some compelling rock and roll with a damn interesting backstory. Chalk another one up for the Hood, who between a spoken intro, and some choice words in the liner notes, really tells you the important details of this twist into the dark reaches of Southern mythology. Or maybe in this case, Southern reality. Years later, thanks to a message board thread about another DBT album, our hero learns that a man named Carl "Towhead" White was the head of the Stateline Gang, and surmises that this song reads as his treatise to a scared teenager pothead. Brilliant.
Say what you gotta say to shut their Bibles and their mouths, if they was to tie a noose, they'd have to lay their Bibles down
Creepy, raw, acoustic guitar. The dude with the deep voice. Ears perked. Another crime song? Its like they're doing some kind of mini-concept song cycle within what has unmistakably become a concept album. Someone is channeling some serious demons. Whoever the fuck this song was about was a complete badass. Laying it all out from the inside of a prison cell. Decrying the hypocrisy of the "good" guys. Telling the other side of the story.
I'm just a hard working man with a family to feed, and he made my daughter cry
Did I say something about the other side of the story? At this point, we've clearly delved into that territory. As I would later find out through "The Three Alabama Icons", telling the other side wasn't just important to the Hood, but to generations of genius Southern rock and roll stars. The world ain't black and white, or cut and dried. No matter what side you come down on, the other side probably has a point. And that slashing power chord riff. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. What a kick in the balls after that last track, eh? Buford Pusser: hero, or "just another crooked law man from Tennessee"? Decide for yourself. This ain't the place for judgments.
To be continued...
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
"OK", our hero thinks to himself. "We've clearly got a concept album on our hands". Having been obsessed with The Who in the not-too-distant past, this pleases him greatly. "So what exactly is the concept" he implores his brother, who has just passed him a pop-can bong. "Who gives a fuck", his brother responds. "This kicks ass".
Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have
Well, this is different. Thundering power chords and songs about bad ass criminals and lawmen gives way to a bluegrass stomp about... racing? Yeah, racing. Our hero can dig. He spent his childhood summers going to the dirt track with his Daddy every Sunday night. Daddy wasn't a huge gearhead, or a racer himself, but he was a competitive sonofabitch and adrenaline junky who loved watching guys he saw at the bar on Saturday night duking it out on that brown, dusty oval the next day. But wait a minute... there's more to this than racing. This is about wrapping your head around that gut, base, human desire to push yourself for what you love no matter what anyone else thinks about it. Our hero has been mocked for his love of climbing mountains for fun. Some folks just don't get it. This dude with the deep drawl clearly ain't one of them.
We ain't never gonna change; we ain't doin' nothing wrong
God damn these loud, raw, detuned power chords. Our hero can't quit this shit. This one sounds like an anthem. Its loud, fierce, defiant. Pretty much the way our hero sees himself at this point in time. Yeah, we're fucked up, but what of it? We're going to do things our own way. Fuck the man. Or something like that. This is what rock and roll is supposed to be, right?
Who's gonna mow the cemetery when all of my family's gone?
Oh, wait. This is what rock and roll sounds like. Three guitars throwing a simplistic riff against the wall and beating it until it shits itself. Have I mentioned that our hero is captivated about how this Hood guy takes these really specific references of rural life, and frames them in universal ways that make him feel like the guy is singing about him? He grew up on a quarter section of Iowa prairie that houses a pioneer cemetery that his grandpa mows. The farm his dad grew up on and uncle still lives on (a whole 4 miles away) contains the local German Catholic cemetery which contains three of his cousins, one aunt, and three great-grandparents. Guess who mows that one? Did we mention the lumbering mammoth riff that gets overlaid by several minutes of searing guitar solo? An absolute hard rock masterpiece.
This one's a love song for my bass player
For about the 5th or 6th time in the past hour, the thought "what in the fuck is this? Oh wait, 'awesome' is what this is" enters our heroes brain. After having his drunk, and now stoned, brain beaten out of his skulls by a muscular guitar attack the new album's swan song devolves into a heartbreakingly gorgeous love song. Wasn't this guy just singing about being a badass and never changing? Oh well. Fortunately, for our hero, this song rings true. After years of one-night stands and failed attempts at relationships, he has recently fallen head over heels for a cute blonde. Several days later, he will show her this album, and more specifically, this song. She will become completely enamored by this band as well. 6 years later, they will get married. As their wedding is winding down, our hero will pull an acoustic guitar out of the corner and play this song for his bride in front of all their friends and family. People will cry. Our hero included. Did I mention he doesn't get moved to tears easily?
All I got is this God damn lonely, God damn lonely love.
Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have
Well, this is different. Thundering power chords and songs about bad ass criminals and lawmen gives way to a bluegrass stomp about... racing? Yeah, racing. Our hero can dig. He spent his childhood summers going to the dirt track with his Daddy every Sunday night. Daddy wasn't a huge gearhead, or a racer himself, but he was a competitive sonofabitch and adrenaline junky who loved watching guys he saw at the bar on Saturday night duking it out on that brown, dusty oval the next day. But wait a minute... there's more to this than racing. This is about wrapping your head around that gut, base, human desire to push yourself for what you love no matter what anyone else thinks about it. Our hero has been mocked for his love of climbing mountains for fun. Some folks just don't get it. This dude with the deep drawl clearly ain't one of them.
We ain't never gonna change; we ain't doin' nothing wrong
God damn these loud, raw, detuned power chords. Our hero can't quit this shit. This one sounds like an anthem. Its loud, fierce, defiant. Pretty much the way our hero sees himself at this point in time. Yeah, we're fucked up, but what of it? We're going to do things our own way. Fuck the man. Or something like that. This is what rock and roll is supposed to be, right?
Who's gonna mow the cemetery when all of my family's gone?
Oh, wait. This is what rock and roll sounds like. Three guitars throwing a simplistic riff against the wall and beating it until it shits itself. Have I mentioned that our hero is captivated about how this Hood guy takes these really specific references of rural life, and frames them in universal ways that make him feel like the guy is singing about him? He grew up on a quarter section of Iowa prairie that houses a pioneer cemetery that his grandpa mows. The farm his dad grew up on and uncle still lives on (a whole 4 miles away) contains the local German Catholic cemetery which contains three of his cousins, one aunt, and three great-grandparents. Guess who mows that one? Did we mention the lumbering mammoth riff that gets overlaid by several minutes of searing guitar solo? An absolute hard rock masterpiece.
This one's a love song for my bass player
For about the 5th or 6th time in the past hour, the thought "what in the fuck is this? Oh wait, 'awesome' is what this is" enters our heroes brain. After having his drunk, and now stoned, brain beaten out of his skulls by a muscular guitar attack the new album's swan song devolves into a heartbreakingly gorgeous love song. Wasn't this guy just singing about being a badass and never changing? Oh well. Fortunately, for our hero, this song rings true. After years of one-night stands and failed attempts at relationships, he has recently fallen head over heels for a cute blonde. Several days later, he will show her this album, and more specifically, this song. She will become completely enamored by this band as well. 6 years later, they will get married. As their wedding is winding down, our hero will pull an acoustic guitar out of the corner and play this song for his bride in front of all their friends and family. People will cry. Our hero included. Did I mention he doesn't get moved to tears easily?
All I got is this God damn lonely, God damn lonely love.
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
In summation...
As (I think dimer) mentioned in the SRO thread, part of the genius of DBT has been the ability of both Patterson and Cooley to write songs rooted in these specific issues or contexts of the South, that speak to widespread universal themes. Ever since I was fully indoctrinated into DBT, probably somewhere around October of 2007, I have felt that the run of SRO>DD>TDS exemplified a "Holy Trinity" of albums that rivaled the Stones' classic run of the late 60's/early 70's in terms of consecutive artistic brilliance. It seemed pretty clear that all of these albums focused on clearly Southern themes, and in particular, both SRO and TDS were tuned into examining these various myths of Southern culture. When discussed in those terms, it sounds like the type of thing that can be alienating to anyone who doesn't share that background or perspective. But that is where the genius inherent in the work of these men rears its head. Despite focusing on these specifically Southern themes, they can't help but crack open these profound, universal truths that apply to people in all walks of lifes in all sorts of places. On top of that, they still manage to make you feel like they are talking exactly about you. But they don't have a fucking clue who you are. And it doesn't fucking matter.
Let there be Rock.
As (I think dimer) mentioned in the SRO thread, part of the genius of DBT has been the ability of both Patterson and Cooley to write songs rooted in these specific issues or contexts of the South, that speak to widespread universal themes. Ever since I was fully indoctrinated into DBT, probably somewhere around October of 2007, I have felt that the run of SRO>DD>TDS exemplified a "Holy Trinity" of albums that rivaled the Stones' classic run of the late 60's/early 70's in terms of consecutive artistic brilliance. It seemed pretty clear that all of these albums focused on clearly Southern themes, and in particular, both SRO and TDS were tuned into examining these various myths of Southern culture. When discussed in those terms, it sounds like the type of thing that can be alienating to anyone who doesn't share that background or perspective. But that is where the genius inherent in the work of these men rears its head. Despite focusing on these specifically Southern themes, they can't help but crack open these profound, universal truths that apply to people in all walks of lifes in all sorts of places. On top of that, they still manage to make you feel like they are talking exactly about you. But they don't have a fucking clue who you are. And it doesn't fucking matter.
Let there be Rock.
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Don't hurt people, and don't take their stuff.
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Smitty wrote:Diggin this. Keep it up Hawkeye.
You better take that back. Our hero here is a Cyclone.
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
RustyBolts wrote:Smitty wrote:Diggin this. Keep it up Hawkeye.
You better take that back. Our hero here is a Cyclone.
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
"Who gives a fuck?...This kicks ass."
The hero's brother is apparently a man of few, well chosen words as well as an apparently endless supply of innovative accessories. Super job, Iowan, but couldn't you have thrown jack flash at least a footnote or something?
One caveat: I do think there's more to "Daddy's Cup" than you describe. What raises the song that extra level is that it's not just about what it seems to be about (whether that's racing, giving your all, competitiveness, whatever), it's also about the complex ties and legacies between fathers and sons and the way important stuff gets transmitted between the lines between the generations.
I won't mention that I think that's me you're referencing re the SRO thread. After all, it was dime who did all the work there
The hero's brother is apparently a man of few, well chosen words as well as an apparently endless supply of innovative accessories. Super job, Iowan, but couldn't you have thrown jack flash at least a footnote or something?
One caveat: I do think there's more to "Daddy's Cup" than you describe. What raises the song that extra level is that it's not just about what it seems to be about (whether that's racing, giving your all, competitiveness, whatever), it's also about the complex ties and legacies between fathers and sons and the way important stuff gets transmitted between the lines between the generations.
I won't mention that I think that's me you're referencing re the SRO thread. After all, it was dime who did all the work there
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Outstanding job, Iowan. It's very well written, passionate, insightful & I love the decision to present it from a personal perspective. I really enjoyed reading this.
You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Really good job Iowan. I love how you made it about your personal experiences with the record. Nice angle. I am perplexed though that it took you all these years to dig Danko/Manuel though. On most days it's my very favorite DBT era Jason song, definitely his best on TDS. Anyway thanks for this, it was a great read.
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Iowan wrote:On top of that, they still manage to make you feel like they are talking exactly about you. But they don't have a fucking clue who you are. And it doesn't fucking matter.
There was a moment at the last Little Rock show I saw when Patterson was really digging into the guitar like he does toward the end of the show, getting that slightly dangerous look on his face. I was up front. He was looking over the crowd and, for just a moment, our eyes met and he grinned. It wasn't personal, like, "Oh, hey! It's Johnnie! Hi, there!" It wasn't business, either, like, "Time to give them what they want." It was sincere and heartfelt, yet impersonal and transient. He was getting off on rock and so was I and so were all the rest of us and there we all were. It didn't have to be personal to be deeply meaningful.
beantownbubba wrote:One caveat: I do think there's more to "Daddy's Cup" than you describe. What raises the song that extra level is that it's not just about what it seems to be about (whether that's racing, giving your all, competitiveness, whatever), it's also about the complex ties and legacies between fathers and sons and the way important stuff gets transmitted between the lines between the generations.
The one line of bullshit the father lays down is especially important in this context:
Daddy wrote:You'll be old enough to drive but I'll leave it up to you
Like hell he'll leave it up to Junior. He's spent his whole life making sure Junior doesn't have that choice. I'm not saying he was right to do it or wrong to do it, just that it's not a free choice at this point but the logical result of the way he raised the kid.
Last edited by John A Arkansawyer on Tue Jun 11, 2013 9:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
The sooner we put those assholes in the grave&piss on the dirt above it, the better off we'll be
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
^^^^ Agreed.
I originally (briefly) thought that the line was a false note, but nope, Cooley gets it exactly right for exactly the reason you state.
I originally (briefly) thought that the line was a false note, but nope, Cooley gets it exactly right for exactly the reason you state.
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
My favorite album from my favorite fuckin' band. This slays on vinyl, slays on cd in the car, slays on my ipod when I'm running, slays when played live, just completely and totally kicks major ass on every measurable level. In my top 5 of favorite albums of all-time. Words can't do it justice.
Why hasn't this album sold 10 million copies?
Why hasn't this album sold 10 million copies?
Turn you demons into walls of goddamned noise and sound.
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Thanks for the kind words folks. It was fun to write, and its always good to see your work enjoyed.
I agree that there's a lot of layers to the onion that is this album. All sorts of shit going on in each that song that I couldn't really touch on. Daddy's Cup is a great example of that. Three or four themes can weave, overlap and come together in one 5 minute span.
Better late than never, right?
I agree that there's a lot of layers to the onion that is this album. All sorts of shit going on in each that song that I couldn't really touch on. Daddy's Cup is a great example of that. Three or four themes can weave, overlap and come together in one 5 minute span.
Tequila Cowboy wrote:I am perplexed though that it took you all these years to dig Danko/Manuel though. On most days it's my very favorite DBT era Jason song, definitely his best on TDS. Anyway thanks for this, it was a great read.
Better late than never, right?
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Fantastic write-up, Iowan. I had a similar epiphany about TDS. I also heard it for the 1st time in the car with my brother. When we heard Lookout Mountain thumpin' on my truck's speakers, we just looked @ each other & said Holy Fuck (or something to that effect).
A thousand clusterfucks will not kill my tiny light
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Iowan wrote:Better late than never, right?
Indeed.
We call him Scooby Do, but Scooby doesn’t do. Scooby, is not involved
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
I had SRO a while before getting The Dirty South, but both switch places as my favorite DBT album. The whole or the sum of the parts? On most days, I think I may like SRO better as an album (the concept is just so cool), but I think some tracks on Dirty South may outweigh may of SRO's tracks. I was obsessed with SRO, then I heard "Where the Devil Don't Stay" and I knew for certain that I'd found my new favorite band! The "sense of place" is just so prevalent on this record. I didn't grow up in Alabama, but even better than the record making me feel like I did, it makes me feel like DBT grew up where I did. Transforming the listener from passive to feeling like he or she could be a character in the song is something I love about DBT. Like a good book, the songs on SRO make me imagine I was in the race car on Daddy's Cup, moonshinin' on the Devil, or contemplating the end on Lookout Mountain.
Awesome job on combining the write up with the graphics, Iowonian. Can 3DD confer a doctorate in musicology. I think this read better than many dissertations! Maybe Tequila Cowboy can check into that!!!!
Awesome job on combining the write up with the graphics, Iowonian. Can 3DD confer a doctorate in musicology. I think this read better than many dissertations! Maybe Tequila Cowboy can check into that!!!!
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Iowan wrote:As their wedding is winding down, our hero will pull an acoustic guitar out of the corner and play this song for his bride in front of all their friends and family. People will cry. Our hero included. Did I mention he doesn't get moved to tears easily?
All I got is this God damn lonely, God damn lonely love.
Hopefully you didn't get married in a church.
By the time you drop them I'll be gone
And you'll be right where they fall the rest of your life
And you'll be right where they fall the rest of your life
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Rocky wrote:Iowan wrote:As their wedding is winding down, our hero will pull an acoustic guitar out of the corner and play this song for his bride in front of all their friends and family. People will cry. Our hero included. Did I mention he doesn't get moved to tears easily?
All I got is this God damn lonely, God damn lonely love.
Hopefully you didn't get married in a church.
A bar, actually.
Well, a reception hall attached to a bar. But I was running in and out of the bar area as the Blackhawks/Kings game went into to OT.
Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
A couple of things always jump out at me about this record
One, its the only DBT record with a Cooley track as the opener
Two, its the most evenly distributed album in terms of songwriting. As such, it has the fewest Hood songs of any record in the catalogue
One, its the only DBT record with a Cooley track as the opener
Two, its the most evenly distributed album in terms of songwriting. As such, it has the fewest Hood songs of any record in the catalogue
And I knew when I woke up Rock N Roll would be here forever
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
Great read Iowan! Also, Congrats on your marriage to a fellow DBT fan
I'll agree with Beaverdam about SRO being better as an album but there being more masterpieces on TDS. While the Buford Trilogy and Daddy's Cup fit with the concept of the album, they're my least favorite songs, musically.
TDS was my first DBT album. When I heard Danko/Manuel on Youtube, I knew I had to get the record. Then I heard Where the Devil Don't Stay and I was blown away.
I'll agree with Beaverdam about SRO being better as an album but there being more masterpieces on TDS. While the Buford Trilogy and Daddy's Cup fit with the concept of the album, they're my least favorite songs, musically.
TDS was my first DBT album. When I heard Danko/Manuel on Youtube, I knew I had to get the record. Then I heard Where the Devil Don't Stay and I was blown away.
Heading to HC Friday and Saturday - first timer!
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Re: DBT Albums Week 10 - The Dirty South
This is one hell of a write up Iowan. I will never forget hearing this album on vinyl for the first time. I had had a digital copy for some time but the day i got that record I was home alone, no distractions and cranked it up to 11. I sat there in the middle of our bedroom and just soaked it up. R&R perfection.
Never going back to Buttholeville. (Good luck with that!)