Jason Isbell question.

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coornelius
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by coornelius »

Zip City wrote:Two of the best tracks from the Sirens sessions were left off the record (The Assassin and Crystal Clear)


i'm still hoping for a Sirens reissue that will allow me to hear these. Google is not my friend.

Iowan
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Iowan »

Cole Younger wrote:Cooley is my favorite song writer of the three. That was the case from day one. I love a lot of Patterson's songs. But to me he has more songs that I skip than Jason and definitely more than Cooley. I don't think I skip any of Cooley's songs.

It's all a matter of opinion. Patterson may have more throw aways because he writes so dang many. It might just be the law of averages. But on Jason's solo stuff, I don't skip very many.

To me, Patterson has a tendancy to get kind of repetitive and cover ground that he's already covered and then cover it again just in case you didn't hear him the first two times.

To me, after having The Wig He Made Her Wear on TBTD, we didn't need two evil preacher songs on GGB. I like both Fireplace Poker and GGB, but both of them together just seems kind of pointless. When I'm listening to the GGB album, I always skip one of those two songs.


I agree completely with your assessments of Patterson and Cooley.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Patterson's repetitiveness can be a bit deceiving sometimes. I remember prior to Go-Go Boots coming out that "Used To Be A Cop" was one of the first songs I heard. When I first listened to it, I was not impressed in the least. I thought it sounded like more of the same ol' same ol' but the more I listened, the more infectious it became. Now, I'd probably consider it be one of my favorite DBTs songs. I think he is also well aware of how repetitive he can be, not just musically but thematically. That's why "Great Car Dealer War" was left off of The Dirty South. If memory serves, he thought it was already too heavy on the Buford Pusser-related songs with "Boys From Alabama" and "The Buford Stick".

Cole Younger
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Cole Younger »

bovine knievel wrote:Patterson shits bigger than Jason

:lol: :D I don't agree but that is the greatest quote I have ever read on this board.
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Cole Younger
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Cole Younger »

Kudzu Guillotine wrote:Patterson's repetitiveness can be a bit deceiving sometimes. I remember prior to Go-Go Boots coming out that "Used To Be A Cop" was one of the first songs I heard. When I first listened to it, I was not impressed in the least. I thought it sounded like more of the same ol' same ol' but the more I listened, the more infectious it became. Now, I'd probably consider it be one of my favorite DBTs songs. I think he is also well aware of how repetitive he can be, not just musically but thematically. That's why "Great Car Dealer War" was left off of The Dirty South. If memory serves, he thought it was already too heavy on the Buford Pusser-related songs with "Boys From Alabama" and "The Buford Stick".


I love Used To Be A Cop. Very strong song. I loved it the first time I heard it.

You're right that he is sometimes aware of the repetitiveness. I knew that was true about GCDW. I also know that Goodes Field Road was originally meant to be on TDS and eschewed in favor of Lookout Mountain. Great call.

I still feel that he overdid it with evil preacher songs but that's just my opinion. Clearly it was just on his mind during that period.
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beantownbubba
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by beantownbubba »

That repetitiveness thing can be tricky, like when PH uses "present" in 3 different ways in Thanksgiving Filter. I thought that was alsum and clever but I know some others thought it was awful and boring.
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

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bovine knievel
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by bovine knievel »

beantownbubba wrote:That repetitiveness thing can be tricky, like when PH uses "present" in 3 different ways in Thanksgiving Filter. I thought that was alsum and clever but I know some others thought it was awful and boring.


Along the same lines is this from Sinkhole:

House has stood through five tornadoes,
Droughts, floods, and five tornadoes.


It always grates on me when I hear it.
“Excited people get on daddy’s nerves.” - M. Cooley

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

RevMatt wrote:Jason Isbell is probably the most diverse of the three. He really came into his own with Here We Rest. He is starting to remind me of Townes Van Zandt.


I'll have what he's having, that must be some damn good shit.

Duke Silver
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Duke Silver »

Jason's got a ways to go before he can be mentioned in the same breath as TVZ. It looked like he was on that trajectory when he was with DBT, not so much lately. I'm a huge fan of his, but right now he needs to show he can make a couple of great records in a row to keep pace with the JTE's, Josh Ritter's, and Kathleen Edwards' of the world, let alone TVZ.

I'm excited for his next record. Sounds like he's in a real good groove right now. Hopefully he's not the type of songwriter who can only write when he's miserable. :?
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John A Arkansawyer
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by John A Arkansawyer »

Cole Younger wrote:I still feel that he overdid it with evil preacher songs but that's just my opinion. Clearly it was just on his mind during that period.


Go Go Boots and The Fireplace Poker are evil preacher songs. The Wig He Made Her Wear, though? The worst thing that guy can be accused of is a little hypocrisy in his personal life and maybe pressuring his wife too hard for the sort of sexy dressing he liked. There's no accusation that he physically abused her and very little sense that he psychologically abused her. He just wanted her to wear the damn wig so he could get off. She's the one who kills him over it and she's also the one whose story keeps changing till she comes up with an excuse that gets peoples' sympathy.

The story is told from further outside than the other two songs, and doesn't quite take sides. It isn't an evil preacher song, not like those.

EDITED FOR P.S. If there's a definite villain in that song, it's "the locals" and their audible gasp.
Last edited by John A Arkansawyer on Tue Feb 28, 2012 9:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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John A Arkansawyer
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by John A Arkansawyer »

beantownbubba wrote:That repetitiveness thing can be tricky, like when PH uses "present" in 3 different ways in Thanksgiving Filter. I thought that was alsum and clever but I know some others thought it was awful and boring.


That sort of thing drives me crazy when it doesn't work. Not working usually means you notice it. I didn't notice it till you called it to our attention here, so I say it works.

bovine knievel wrote:Along the same lines is this from Sinkhole:

House has stood through five tornadoes,
Droughts, floods, and five tornadoes.


It always grates on me when I hear it.


That one doesn't bother me, either. That's as much refrain as it is repetition.

You can mark me down as saying it would have been better to use either Go Go Boots or The Fireplace Poker on the CD and save the other for later. I'd've gone with Go Go Boots.
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Iowan
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Iowan »

John A Arkansawyer wrote:
Cole Younger wrote:I still feel that he overdid it with evil preacher songs but that's just my opinion. Clearly it was just on his mind during that period.


Go Go Boots and The Fireplace Poker are evil preacher songs. The Wig He Made Her Wear, though? The worst thing that guy can be accused of is a little hypocrisy in his personal life and maybe pressuring his wife too hard for the sort of sexy dressing he liked. There's no accusation that he physically abused her and very little sense that he psychologically abused her. He just wanted her to wear the damn wig so he could get off. She's the one who kills him over it and she's also the one whose story keeps changing till she comes up with an excuse that gets peoples' sympathy.

The story is told from further outside than the other two songs, and doesn't quite take sides. It isn't an evil preacher song, not like those.

EDITED FOR P.S. If there's a definite villain in that song, it's "the locals" and their audible gasp.


All three of those songs dealt with preachers and murder, and musically speaking featured less focus on melody, and more focus on sounds in the background as Patterson doesn't really sing on them.

Really god damn similar. I enjoy each of them, but to have the three of them on two albums released a year apart seemed like over kill.

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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by beantownbubba »

JohnA, you make some good points about wig, but still, there's no way around it. It's one of the 3 evil preacher songs. Period. :) See Iowan's comments for as good an explanation as any.

I like your characterization of the line in "Tornadoes" as refrain, not repetition. That works for me.
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John A Arkansawyer
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by John A Arkansawyer »

beantownbubba wrote:JohnA, you make some good points about wig, but still, there's no way around it. It's one of the 3 evil preacher songs. Period. :)


It's about evil and it's about a preacher, so I'll agree it's a evil preacher song. Just not one like the other two evil preacher songs.
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Frog Man
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Frog Man »

jimmyjack wrote:

All that said, I don't really pull ANY of Jason's solo albums out very often, and I'm as big a fan of DBT in their current incarnation than I ever was. This is a band that would have been incapable of a song like UTBAC during the DD / TDS era. The slo-burn country soul style of latter-day DBT is a revelation. Not sure if it was Spponer's influence, or Booker's, or Betty's, but whatever it was, I'm glad they are the band that they are today. I hate to think Jason peaked really early (like Ryan Adams), but all evidence so far supports this idea. I'll still buy everything he releases, pre-order deluxe packages and see him whenever I can, but that's not based on his having "been a Trucker." It's based on the fact that this motherfucker wrote "Outfit," "Decoration Day," "Goddam Lonely Love," etc etc etc. Any one of those tunes is canon-worthy as far as I'm concerned.

Well this guy sure was wrong about "peaking early".

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Jason has enjoyed more success in recent years but his music is also more palatable to the masses at this point as well.

armPitt
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by armPitt »

cortez the killer wrote:
ford911 wrote:To each their own. Patterson has more songs that I skip than Jason.
Patterson has more "skippers" because he lets it all hang out - see Neil Young & Bob Dylan. However, when the dust settles and you've worn you skip button out, Patterson has written far better songs than Jason. And as talented and "upcoming" as Jason is, he will NEVER come close to Patterson.
In addition to the comments about peaking early, these ones are starting to look a little silly. Is Jason closing the gap between him and Patterson? Or is it still wide enough that it never gets closed? Or has Patterson widened it with his recent output?

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Smitty
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Smitty »

armPitt wrote:
cortez the killer wrote:
ford911 wrote:To each their own. Patterson has more songs that I skip than Jason.
Patterson has more "skippers" because he lets it all hang out - see Neil Young & Bob Dylan. However, when the dust settles and you've worn you skip button out, Patterson has written far better songs than Jason. And as talented and "upcoming" as Jason is, he will NEVER come close to Patterson.
In addition to the comments about peaking early, these ones are starting to look a little silly. Is Jason closing the gap between him and Patterson? Or is it still wide enough that it never gets closed? Or has Patterson widened it with his recent output?
You might can chalk it up to personal bias, but personally I don't think Jason has got close to Patterson as a songwriter.
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njMark
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by njMark »

I know I'm in the minority here but I've seen others say this as well so I know it's not just me but, the last 2 albums are kind of well, boring in comparison to Sirens/ST/HWR. I remember GW looking at me like I was crazy when I mentioned this at HC last year. I've sat here at work and listened to all the studio albums tonight and I stand by my assertion. I only saw DBT with JI once in 06 at the garden state arts center and in the whole half hour -40 minutes they were given to play they were spot on. I think both parties have prospered in the time since they split and I think I like both entities the way they are now. Now, what is this Ryan Adams peaking young talk? :D

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Frog Man
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Frog Man »

DBT hasn't put out a really good album since BTCD. The two after BTCD were not good, and the two after that were okay.

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Frog Man
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Frog Man »

Murdering Oscar and Heat Lightning are both really good though. Better than the last four DBT albums for sure.

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dime in the gutter
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by dime in the gutter »

Smitty wrote:music wise, I'd rather hear DBT with Neff than with Jason any day - whatever he lacks in stage presence, he more than makes up for in virtuosity.
and when sitting down, his contributions made dbt transcendent.

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gepman
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by gepman »

Does EVERYTHING need to be a fucking competition?
If you like it, just listen to it, and enjoy it... If you don't. don't...

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

gepman wrote:Does EVERYTHING need to be a fucking competition?
If you like it, just listen to it, and enjoy it... If you don't. don't...
Agreed but I think it sort of comes with the territory, all these years later people are still pitting Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy against one another. Also, if opinions are expressed constructively and without vitriol, I see nothing the matter with it.

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gepman
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Re: Jason Isbell question.

Post by gepman »

Kudzu Guillotine wrote:
gepman wrote:Does EVERYTHING need to be a fucking competition?
If you like it, just listen to it, and enjoy it... If you don't. don't...
Agreed but I think it sort of comes with the territory, all these years later people are still pitting Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy against one another. Also, if opinions are expressed constructively and without vitriol, I see nothing the matter with it.
Agreed. Sometimes it just gets to me... Its OK to like more than one thing at a time...

I think you can add Hood / Cooley to your above argument. :D

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