Art of the Motorcycle - Songs of the Open Road Inside Sounds/Wonders 2005

1. Call Me the Breeze / Joe Boogie 4:42
2. Born to Be Wild / Jim Dandy 3:56
3. A Harley Someday / Wally Ford 3:11
4. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning / Eddie Dattel 4:57
5. Down the Line / Beat Generation 2:08
6. King of the Road / Billy Gibson 3:36
7. Little Honda / Jack Oblivian 2:18
8. Midnight Rider / Phillip Durham 4:19
9. On the Road Again / Dr. David Evans 3:16
10. I Want to Hop on Your Harley / Ann Rabson 2:17
11. Highway 61 Revisited / Beat Generation 2:47
12. Riders on the Storm / Hal Butler 5:02
13. Jitterboppin' / Richard Ray Farrell 2:42
14. Travelin' Band / Charles Ponder 2:32

This compilation proves that even a great set of songs can make a bad CD. At first glance this looks like a good album for a road trip, but you would soon toss it out the window. J.J. Cale is a fun song to start with. Joe Boogie does "Call Me the Breeze" some justice. Its nice to relive the times when you were "rolling down the road." Then you sit through the worst vocal ever on "Born to be Wild." Hard to know what Inside Sounds was thinkin' on this one. Everyone that has grown up on the road in the last half century claims their going to get "A Harley Someday," but does Wally Ford make us believe it? Bikes and the songs sung about them are part of a outsider culture. Eddie Dattel feels like an outsider on this compilation because he has one of the only sincere performances with a Richard Thompson Cover. The Beat Generation have a playful guitar and nice harmonies on "Down the Line." Then the transition into "King of the Road" sounds smooth. To bad that momentum is lost with more bad vocals in "Little Honda," the harmonies sound forced. Its a fun song taken to seriously by Jack O. If there is no fun in the studio then that comes out on the mix. One would think that the Memphis International Cultural Series could have done a better job of covering these old songs with some class, or at least with some of the spirit of the originals. Even the "Midnight Rider" sounds flat. "On the Road Again" is a little livelier but not much. A nice Jazzy addition to this CD is Ann Rabson's smooth vocal with a piano and horn backing her on "Hop on Your Harley." The Beat Generation Comes back with the Dylan cover, put forth with good timing and an upbeat an playful sound. We can see why they picked the song "Riders on the Storm" but how it comes out over the speakers is not to impressive. Then out of nowhere is a short instrumental that rocks and bops, (Jitterboppin') too bad this CD does not end on this high note. No they bring you back down with half-assed "Travelin Band." If this compilation had been thought threw a little more, or given more time and consideration to the songs they did pick, it could be great. These are wonderful little rock songs that just don't sound right on this CD.

Best Song:1952 Vincent Black Lightning - Eddie Dattel
Worst Song:Born to be wild - Jim Dandy
Weired Stand out:I Want to Hop on Your Harley - Ann Rabson and or Jitterboppin' - Richard Ray Farrell
P.S. The Beat Generation had some good tracks on this album. They sounded like they where having fun and play this kind of stuff all the time.

Love Sucks 2006 Rhino

Tracks:

1. 1. Love stinks-J Geils Band


2. I hate myself for loving you-Joan Jett & the Blackhearts


3. Everything about you-Ugly Kid Joe


4. Ever fallen in love(with someone you shouldn't've?)-Buzzcocks


5. Love will tear us apart-Joy Division


6. Pictures of you-Cure


7. Answering machine-Replacements


8. You're no good-Linda Ronstadt


9. I'm not in love-10cc


10. Love hurts-Gram Parsons


11. Who loves the sun-Velvet Underground


12. Glad to see you go-Ramones

Love sucks as a compilation rolls on and on one great song after another, all linked together by love. The bad part of love, the tough and unfair love....J. Geils thinks it sucks, Joan Jett hates herself for it. You get the feeling you should stay away from love. Why let it tear you apart? Why fall for the wrong person and end up hating everything about them? At least the Cure makes it sound like love is special and devastating. Then with the Replacements you can here the heart break in his voice. The switch from "Answering machine" to "You're no good" is a little ruff, maybe bring the Cure down to make a better mix. Can't talk about how hard love is without Gram Parsons. "Love hurts" sounds so calm and understanding, just what you need after love is gone. The Velvet underground at least sound upbeat about heartbreak, who cares about everyday things when in and out of love. And to send us off the Ramones are "Glad to see us go." This compilation hits it target right where it hurts, the heart.

Best song: Love hurts- Gram Parsons
Worst song: I'm not in love- 10cc
Weird standout: Answering machine- Replacements

PS. I have to say that the liner notes are hilarious. Written by Cory Frye,the northwest feature writer/columnist for Rhino, funny funny guy. First he badmouths the Beatles and there concept of every kind of love. Then goes on to pick love apart. You can see a real generation gap when it comes to thoughts on love. The way he writes you get the feeling he does not get that the only reason love sucks so much is because it is so good...while its good. Is it worth all the disappointment? Hell yeah it is!! Over and over and over loves brings you up to let you down, but the highs out weigh the lows most of the time. So maybe the Beatles where High on loves peaks, not just drugs. SQ