OK, Tallulah has rated Aimee (and I've done post-SMASC Bowie), how about now trying her brilliant and euqally Elvis-endorsed contemporary, Ron Sexsmith? Anyone know all the LPs and care to?
I don't have Other Songs nor Blue Boy, so can't compete, but am dead interested to know how those rate against the other three (or four if you include garna Opera Lane, but that could only be 6th in anyone's list as it's too half-formed).
Ron was in Dublin last night (anyone go? Dr J? FJP?), he's in Cambridge tonight and tomorrow (the weather is totally fucking perfect for it now, just glorious sun after days of rain), and London Borderline Mon and Tues - and, due to unavailable tickets and impossible logistics, I'm not going to see him once. I am an arsehole, it's official.
Rating The Mighty Ron
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Otis Westinghouse
- Posts: 8856
- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 3:32 pm
- Location: The theatre of dreams
Of course I was there. fjp couldn't go. A friend of mine had booked the seats and on the way to the gig I noticed two things on the ticket: Ron would be Solo and acoustic, which is fine, he's good with that guitar and secondly we appeared to be in the front row.
We got there stupidly early and yes, we were in the front row, sitting comfortably. The support was an American guy called David Mead who we couldn't decide on but we still talked to him after and one of my pals bought his cd and I noticed that it was produced by a Fountain of Wayne. She told me this evening that it's very good, so I'll have a listen and get back to you on him.
Ron did an hour and a half. He's Ron, you know. Crowd were so well behaved and quiet. About 50% of the gig went onto my palmtop computer including two pretty good front row video clips, two nice photos and audio recordings of an unreleased new song, a cover of Something done with the support and he sang this little nursery rhyme for his daughter in the audience, and he made it sound soooooo sad. Overall, another Ron winner.
By my count it's Ron gig number seven.
I've seen Elvis nine times.
Overall I love Ron. I can't put my finger on it. There's loads of singer-songwriters with guitars out there and some of them I don't give a shit about (D.Grey, ferinstance) and some I recognise as being very good but whose records I don't really have (say, Elliot Smith). He is easily my favourite new musician to come from the nineties. I own all six records, including Grand Opera Lane, they're all worthwhile in their way. My least fave is Whereabouts, GOL is a little half-baked in terms of the production and writing, but it stands up with a few great songs like "Tell Me".
The eponymous "proper" debut is what started my Ronmania. I had never heard any of his stuff but I got it in a sale after EC's very vocal support of the record and I remember listening to it for the very first time on headphones on Grafton Street and I was instantly blown away by Secret Heart, which I just had to listen to over and over again. It was one of those musical epiphanies of which I've probably only had about half a dozen.
Other Songs is unapolagetically Ron Sexsmith part two and is essential. "Strawberry Blonde" is the most perfect song ever, possibly. Even when he sang it last night, after hearing it for a million times, it still struck me and I felt I could leave the gig there and then having got my money's worth.
Blue Boy is great, but it has a looser, pubrocky sound courtesy of new producer Steve Earle. But the songs are great after the lacklustre Whereabouts: Just My Heart Talking (which soundtracked a sad time in my life), Cheap Hotel, Not Too Big, This Song...
The latest, Cobblestone Runway, might be his best record. I feel it's the most consistent and individual. It has some of the woody textures of the early records but sharpens em up a bit. And the songs sound like they could only be done by Ron, whereas some of the earlier songs are covers waiting to happen. (Nick Lowe has this mix with his stuff) Maybe I just like it so much coz it's the new one.
The first time I saw Ron was in the Olympia in Dublin, probably 1997. I went on my own, hadn't spread the word enough yet. It was an eye-opener with his great band and his over-looked brilliant guitar playing. Saw him support EC at the National Concert Hall, then again in a shit venue called the HQ (with my mother), back in the Olympia, this time with five people I'd mostly gotten turnedontoron. The best though was this gig, 50 miles outside Dublin, tiny club, front row, and a chat and photo with the man after. fjp outlines it here...
http://fantasyjackpalance.com/fjp/sound ... smith.html
... before Friday, I last saw him last November...
http://fantasyjackpalance.com/fjp/sound ... smith.html
He'll release more records, I'll buy them all, he'll play more gigs and I'll go to them. With Cobblestone Runway fizzling out commercially, it might have been Ron's last chance for hugeness. When I met him I remember saying to him that "blah blah you're great" plus maybe he'd get a breakthrough freak hit if he had a song in an ad or something. He said he wouldn't rule that out.
Almost everyone I've introduced to Ron's music loves it.
DrJ
We got there stupidly early and yes, we were in the front row, sitting comfortably. The support was an American guy called David Mead who we couldn't decide on but we still talked to him after and one of my pals bought his cd and I noticed that it was produced by a Fountain of Wayne. She told me this evening that it's very good, so I'll have a listen and get back to you on him.
Ron did an hour and a half. He's Ron, you know. Crowd were so well behaved and quiet. About 50% of the gig went onto my palmtop computer including two pretty good front row video clips, two nice photos and audio recordings of an unreleased new song, a cover of Something done with the support and he sang this little nursery rhyme for his daughter in the audience, and he made it sound soooooo sad. Overall, another Ron winner.
By my count it's Ron gig number seven.
I've seen Elvis nine times.
Overall I love Ron. I can't put my finger on it. There's loads of singer-songwriters with guitars out there and some of them I don't give a shit about (D.Grey, ferinstance) and some I recognise as being very good but whose records I don't really have (say, Elliot Smith). He is easily my favourite new musician to come from the nineties. I own all six records, including Grand Opera Lane, they're all worthwhile in their way. My least fave is Whereabouts, GOL is a little half-baked in terms of the production and writing, but it stands up with a few great songs like "Tell Me".
The eponymous "proper" debut is what started my Ronmania. I had never heard any of his stuff but I got it in a sale after EC's very vocal support of the record and I remember listening to it for the very first time on headphones on Grafton Street and I was instantly blown away by Secret Heart, which I just had to listen to over and over again. It was one of those musical epiphanies of which I've probably only had about half a dozen.
Other Songs is unapolagetically Ron Sexsmith part two and is essential. "Strawberry Blonde" is the most perfect song ever, possibly. Even when he sang it last night, after hearing it for a million times, it still struck me and I felt I could leave the gig there and then having got my money's worth.
Blue Boy is great, but it has a looser, pubrocky sound courtesy of new producer Steve Earle. But the songs are great after the lacklustre Whereabouts: Just My Heart Talking (which soundtracked a sad time in my life), Cheap Hotel, Not Too Big, This Song...
The latest, Cobblestone Runway, might be his best record. I feel it's the most consistent and individual. It has some of the woody textures of the early records but sharpens em up a bit. And the songs sound like they could only be done by Ron, whereas some of the earlier songs are covers waiting to happen. (Nick Lowe has this mix with his stuff) Maybe I just like it so much coz it's the new one.
The first time I saw Ron was in the Olympia in Dublin, probably 1997. I went on my own, hadn't spread the word enough yet. It was an eye-opener with his great band and his over-looked brilliant guitar playing. Saw him support EC at the National Concert Hall, then again in a shit venue called the HQ (with my mother), back in the Olympia, this time with five people I'd mostly gotten turnedontoron. The best though was this gig, 50 miles outside Dublin, tiny club, front row, and a chat and photo with the man after. fjp outlines it here...
http://fantasyjackpalance.com/fjp/sound ... smith.html
... before Friday, I last saw him last November...
http://fantasyjackpalance.com/fjp/sound ... smith.html
He'll release more records, I'll buy them all, he'll play more gigs and I'll go to them. With Cobblestone Runway fizzling out commercially, it might have been Ron's last chance for hugeness. When I met him I remember saying to him that "blah blah you're great" plus maybe he'd get a breakthrough freak hit if he had a song in an ad or something. He said he wouldn't rule that out.
Almost everyone I've introduced to Ron's music loves it.
DrJ
Tlentifini Maarhaysu
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selfmademug