Searched and couldn't find a thread, so here it is.

If you've been holding out, "Just Us Kids" is $5 all month long (August) at Amazon. The title track and "Fireline Road" alone are worth the money.

I'll say it again, there's not a better writer out there today - if you ain't familiar with his work, get to it.
"Ruby & Carlos" on Just Us Kids is as fine a song as I've ever heard.

Smitty wrote:I'll say it again, there's not a better writer out there today - if you ain't familiar with his work, get to it.
"Ruby & Carlos" on Just Us Kids is as fine a song as I've ever heard.

2nd that Ruby & Carlos is top shelf stuff...

3milelake wrote:

Smitty wrote:I'll say it again, there's not a better writer out there today - if you ain't familiar with his work, get to it.
"Ruby & Carlos" on Just Us Kids is as fine a song as I've ever heard.

2nd that Ruby & Carlos is top shelf stuff...

Joining the crowd. Ruby & Carlos may be my favorite song of the last five years. Plenty of other great stuff on Just Us Kids as well.

Fireline Road > Ruby & Carlos

Zip City wrote:Fireline Road > Ruby & Carlos

this belongs in the blasphemy thread.
Nah its cool, they're both really great songs - but R&C is a masterpiece IMO

Smitty wrote:

Zip City wrote:Fireline Road > Ruby & Carlos

this belongs in the blasphemy thread.
Nah its cool, they're both really great songs - but R&C is a masterpiece IMO

Second that. Fireline Road is an awesome song, but not quite as good.

When it gets to this:

And holding back the flood
Just don't do no good
You can't unclench your teeth
To howl the way you should
So you curl your lips around
The taste, the tears, and the hollow sound
That no one owns but you
No one owns but you.

It hits me every time.

Tequila Cowboy wrote:And holding back the flood
Just don't do no good
You can't unclench your teeth
To howl the way you should
So you curl your lips around
The taste, the tears, and the hollow sound
That no one owns but you
No one owns but you.

Powerful stuff. After many, many spins can still bring up a tear.

great lyric, but the melody is pretty meh

Zip City wrote:great lyric, but the melody is pretty meh

Yeah. Wow. ok.

Tequila Cowboy wrote:

Zip City wrote:great lyric, but the melody is pretty meh

Yeah. Wow. ok.

....

just my opinion. the song is rather rambling, in my opinion. it's probably my 4th or 5th favorite on that album

Zip City wrote:just my opinion. the song is rather rambling, in my opinion. it's probably my 4th or 5th favorite on that album

You can dig the song or not but I have to take issue with the "rambling". It's as well constructed a story song as I've ever heard and always reminds me of the link between he and his father. It always felt like a screenplay set to music to me, with every line setting scene or driving plot and not a word wasted.

Just my take. What's the line? Writing about music is like dancing to architecture? or something like that....

He's playing a show with Ray Wylie Hubbard in Virginia in a couple of weeks. I would kill to see that show but it's not in the cards. I hate that guys like McMurtry hardly ever make it up this way.

Zip City wrote:great lyric, but the melody is pretty meh

If it weren't for Zip, we wouldn't have anyone to always point out the negative!

Ok moving on...

Choctaw Bingo, Levelland and Out Here in the Middle are also just beyond belief top notch songs. McMurtry's knack for painting vivid images in your head is beyond reproach.

Tequila Cowboy wrote:Ok moving on...

Choctaw Bingo, Levelland and Out Here in the Middle are also just beyond belief top notch songs. McMurtry's knack for painting vivid images in your head is beyond reproach.

I would add No More Buffalo to this list.

I would add We Can't Make It Here Anymore to the list.

dime in the gutter wrote:

God damned he can play that thing.

BigTom wrote:I would add We Can't Make It Here Anymore to the list.

damn straight (good call):


"Lights of Cheyenne" is another phenomenal one of his.

After R&C, my next favorite McMurtry songs would be Rachel's Song and Holiday

the first I ever heard McMurtry was on Thanksgiving on Sirius X Country - they were playing Holiday and it blew my mind

I was fortunate to catch McMurtry in Cleveland last month and I can tell you, it was one hell of a show. The guy is a masterful musician and his lyrics are fantastic. He played all the hits and at the end of the show, ended up blowing an amp. He walks off stage and comes back out and plays Lights of Cheyenne unplugged, it was amazing.

My wife and I went to see him in July in Greenville SC. Great show, my wife was5 days from her due date but was like fuck that, we are going to see James McMurtry. I was sitting there watching the show and was like damn, his songs are like movies. Everyone he played brought up a different one in my head. Dude is a genius. I have to agree with Zip, until I saw him live I was a bigger fan of Fireline road, that song just puts chills up my spine. But once I heard Ruby and Fireline live, I have to say they arent in the same ball park. Childish Things may be my favorite album of his.

"Where'd You Hide the Body?" entire album just incredible mini epics about relationships and life. Still my favorite in an incredibly impressive catalog of music stretching back 20 years now.

I wish a remix of the first two, "Too Long in the Wasteland" and "Candyland" could be done.
Great songs but way too much late eighties John Mellencamp in the production, especially Kenny Aronoff. The live version of "Too Long" is simmering wicked. It's usually a show closer the last few times I've seen him.

Love me some Slew Foot with Joe Ely

Clams wrote:He's playing a show with Ray Wylie Hubbard in Virginia in a couple of weeks. I would kill to see that show but it's not in the cards. I hate that guys like McMurtry hardly ever make it up this way.

Well I just fished my wish. McMurtry's playing a solo acoustic show at my favorite Philly venue, the World Cafe Live, on Dec 3. Got two tix this morning- second row, center, on the aisle.

Thanks for the heads up Clams. Haven't checked his website in a while and it turns out he's playing about about 1.5 hours from here. Love to see him again if we can make it work.

I jsut saw him on October 5th here in SLC. It was fantastic.

I'm just starting to dig deep into his stuff but he is very, very talented.

My two favorite songs of his at the moment are without a doubt "Rachel's Song" and "No More Buffalo".

Simply awesome.

Beebs wrote:Thanks for the heads up Clams. Haven't checked his website in a while and it turns out he's playing about about 1.5 hours from here. Love to see him again if we can make it work.

Oops sorry, should've mentioned that. Looks like he's in Northampton, Mass on 12/1 and Philly on 12/3. You'd have to think he'll fill in with a couple more northeastern dates.