Country

Emmylou Harris – Every Grain Of Sand – The Best Dylan Covers

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there’s someone there, other times it’s only me
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand

Emmylou Harris – Every Grain of Sand – The Best Dylan Covers

That was an inspired song that came to me. I felt like I was just putting down words that were coming from somewhere else, and I just stuck it out.
~Bob Dylan (“Biograph” notes)

Every Grain of Sand” is a song written by Bob Dylan, recorded in May 1981 and originally released the following August on Dylan’s album Shot of Love. It was subsequently included on the compilation Biograph. An early version of the song, recorded in September 1980 and featuring Jennifer Warnes on backing vocal, was released in 1991 on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991. To me it sounds like and feels like a hymn. Continue reading “Emmylou Harris – Every Grain Of Sand – The Best Dylan Covers” →

Rest in peace, Honky Tonk Hero, Billy Joe Shaver

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

 

Tonight we salute one of the finest, Billy Joe Shaver.

 

He lived the outlaw lifestyle that others only sang about.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]’Cause movin’s in my soul, i guess a gypsy boy got a hold
Of somebody in my family long ago
If some night while half asleep you hear the back door softly squeak
You’ll touch my empty pillow, then you’ll know
That restless wind, is calling me again
– Billy Joe Shaver (from “Restless Wind” (one of his best songs))

«He’s a real writer like Hemingway. He’s timeless»
– Kris Kristofferson

“Billy Joe was already there before anybody was talking about an outlaw movement”
– Steve Earle

«Billy Joe is unique. One of a kind. They threw away the mold. The best.»
– Robert Duvall

I’m listening to Billy Joe Shaver And i’m reading James Joyce
-Bob Dylan (I Feel a Change Comin’ On)[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Restless Wind:

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October 24: Laura Cantrell released her debut album Not The Tremblin’ Kind in 2000

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

I’ve loved and played this album for…2o years now! Time flies…

This is an album that is mentioned far too seldom in the press and is too unknown by way too many. Laura Cantrell reclaims the essence of americana songwriting, she does story-songs about drinking, relationships gone south and long days and nights being on the road. She is the real deal.

Not the Tremblin’ Kind is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Laura Cantrell. It was originally released in 2000 on Diesel Only Records. The album bears a dedication to “the original Beverly Hillbilly”, Zeke Manners.

Laura Cantrell (born 1967) is a country singer-songwriter and DJ from Nashville, Tennessee. She used to present a weekly country and old-time music radio show on WFMU called The Radio Thrift Shop. Since October 2005 she has only made occasional appearances on the station (but is hosting a show on SiriusXM about George Harrison and his music no less!) . She is one of the relatively few contemporary artists mentioned and played on Bob Dylan’s radio show Theme Time Radio Hour.

Continue reading “October 24: Laura Cantrell released her debut album Not The Tremblin’ Kind in 2000” →

Dwight Yoakam Top 10 Music Videos – Happy birthday!

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

Iv’ve liked Dwight Yoakam since the late eighties. There was a music magazine here in Norway, Beat, that really championed those new country (country/rock) artists and I was smitten. His first two records really got worn out at my student home in Bergen.

Today I am going to list his 10 best videos (you know he came up at the same time as MTV and he’s always had great music videos). This is my own list and it is not discussed with Egil (the other half of BTL) before putting it out here.

1. Guitars, Cadillacs:

2. Streets of Bakersfield (with Buck Owens):

Dwight Yoakam to the magazine Country Guitar in 1994:

‘Bakersfield’ really is not exclusively limited to the town itself but encompasses the larger California country sound of the Forties, Fifties and on into the Sixties, and even the Seventies, with the music of Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, the Burrito Brothers and the Eagles — they are all an extension of the ‘Bakersfield Sound’ and a byproduct of it. I’ve got a poster of Buck Owens performing at the Fillmore West in 1968 in Haight Asbury! What went on there led to there being a musical incarnation called country rock. I don’t know if there would have been a John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival had there not been the California country music that’s come to be known as the ‘Bakersfield Sound’.

Continue reading “Dwight Yoakam Top 10 Music Videos – Happy birthday!” →

Bob Dylan Sings Dwight Yoakam – Happy Birthday Dwight Yoakam

Posted on by Egil Mosbron

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]The biggest surprise followed when Dylan pulled out Dwight Yoakam’s “The Heart that You Own.” Larry played pedal steel and Bob had some good vocals. The song was performed well and Bob seemed really into it. ..
-Matt Stroshane (boblinks.com)[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor, known for his pioneering style of country music. First becoming popular in the mid-1980s, Yoakam has recorded more than twenty albums and compilations, charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and sold more than 25 million records. He has recorded five Billboard #1 albums, twelve gold albums, and nine platinum albums, including the triple-platinum This Time.

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Alison Krauss – I Believe In You – The Best Dylan Covers

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

 

“They ask me how I feel
And if my love is real
And how I know I’ll make it through
And they, they look at me and frown
They’d like to drive me from this town
They don’t want me around
‘Cause I believe in you”

 

Alison Krauss – I Believe In You – The Best Dylan Covers

I Believe In You is the third song on Slow Train Coming, the nineteenth studio album by Bob Dylan, released on August 20, 1979. It was his first effort since becoming a born-again Christian, and all of the songs either express his strong personal faith, or stress the importance of Christian teachings and philosophy. The evangelical nature of the record alienated many of Dylan’s existing fans; at the same time, many Christians were drawn into his fan base. Slow Train Coming was listed at #16 in the 2001 book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.

“One of the most tender love songs Dylan wrote in the 1980’s, even though the object of his affection is not a woman, but Christ. “I Believe in You” also contains arguably Dylan’s most committed vocal on Slow Train Coming. The song’s lyrics are simple but touching – “I believe in you/even through the tears and laughter” and “I believe in you/Even when I feel outnumbered” are just two examples. Indeed, the song is a simple statement on Dylan’s new found faith and the notion that Dylan will now drop everything and make any sacrifice for Christ now that his faith is strong. The song contains a beautiful melody and some lovely guitar flourishes by Mark Knopfler. One of the best songs of Dylan’s Christian period.”
– Thomas Ward (allmusic.com)

Continue reading “Alison Krauss – I Believe In You – The Best Dylan Covers” →