John mellencamp-1990-present

anyone else feel these albums are overlooked? this is some great stuff and imo most of it is better than his pre 1990 work yet it didn't sell huge numbers or spawn many big hits. I'd say only handful of tunes from this era are known to the classic rock listening public

 

I don't know much for this time period, maybe the dance Naked album.
You are right that historically, this period doesn't get as much notice, but there have been some threads here.
what exactly are your favorite songs and why and please post some examples?

 

the songs are harder to pick imo because the albums from this era need to be heard start to finish. albums in the 80's uh-huh, American fool, lonesome jubilee and big daddy have standout songs, usually the singles, that are way better than most of the albums. scarecrow is the exception from his big 80's period as it had 5 big hits plus at least 2 other tunes that have become staples in mellencamps live setlist.

if I was forced to pick some tunes 1990-present I'd say:
human wheels
full catastrophe
your life is now
longest days
young without lovers
someday the rains will fall


that's really just skimming the surface though

 

Human Wheels is his best album, and it's a shame that it was overlooked(even if had the best opening sales numbers for his career).

 

yes amazing stuff

 

I liked "What If I Came Knocking". I believe that he turned a corner with Big Daddy album. That album included "Pop Singer" and you know chorus, I am sure.
I had heard him in an interview where he said that when he write a song, it is built around one line, maybe he said that only one line mattered.
Seemed to me that he stopped trying to write anything like a hit.

 

Loved "Whenever We Wanted"
Liked what I heard of "Dance Naked", very short record.
Mr. Happy Go Lucky was good effort, if not a little long
Haven't heard enough of the 1998 self-titled record to judge.

There's also a lost album from 1992 that got shelved after John wasn't satisfied with the results. Two songs "When Jesus Left Birmingham", and "Human Wheels" made it over.

 

OK! Good start, post a link for those of us playing at home and don't have any of the later albums, please.

 

I personally think that No Better Than This is his best album. At the very least a small step behind Scarecrow.

 

Haven't heard it all from this era but everything i've heard from this era is good. Cuttin heads, Human wheels, Freedom's Road, Life death love and freedom are all enjoyable. Not sure if it's really better than his 80's stuff but he wrote a lot of good songs.

 

No Better Than This from about 2010 (or a bit earlier ?) is a great Americana album, particularly if you like mono, T Bone Burnett productions, and tales of the economic, small town, rural lives.

 

I'd never heard that

 

can't access youtube at work right now

 

I have Lonesome Jubilee (1987) and Big Daddy (1989)..Which are both superb albums with great audiophile sound quality..Have not heard anything before or after that unfortunately.Can anyone recommend any other albums from his back catalogue that i should own? Thanks

 

even though its not the era being discussed here scarecrow is a must own. its his most popular I believe.

 

I'll stump for "Whenever We Wanted" and "Mr. Happy Go Lucky". "Whenever" is a back to basics kind of record...I thought Big Daddy was kind of weak, so it's a nice palate cleanser for me. "Lucky" is interesting because of the Junior Vasquez influence...nice to see him being pushed a little outside of his comfort zone.

 

the self titled and cutting heads are a little out of his comfort zone too. then he went into the americana/country thing

 

For those of you who may not know, this next song was written specifically for Johnny Cash who once called JM one of America's greatest songwriters.

The Full Catastrophe - John Mellencamp »

None other than Dylan called this next song one of the best of the last few years.

longest days - john mellencamp »

 

To me Life, Death, Love & Freedom is Mellencamp's best album (and one of the best albums of the last 20 years).

The 1998 self titled album is also very good - definitely on par with Human Wheels and Whenever We Wanted.

Trouble No More, a covers album, is also worth checking out.

 

Human Wheels,Mr Happy Go Lucky and Life Death Love And Freedom are 3 of the best 5 albums of his career.The last named is his greatest album IMHO.

 

This song has become a real standout for me on the album, just incredible storytelling, and brilliant lyrics,

 

I've been listening to what is probably his least appreciated post 90s album ''Cuttin' Heads'', while not among his very best, it is still a very good one. Among the tunes i'm digging are ''Worn Out Nervous Condition'' ''Peaceful World'' and the funky title track, the one where rapper Chuck D takes over for half the song, who else among his contemporaries would even contemplate such a thing, and it works beautifully.

 

After the third Columbia outing I jumped shipped for a bit but since returned and found the recent disc thoroughly enjoyable. One of my favorites from WWW.

 

I thoroughly enjoy Cuttin' Heads as an album as a whole. It's not exactly Seargent Pepper's, but it's enjoyable heartfelt music. I think 'Cougar' has put out more good pop music than most people realize, critics and music fans alike. I like him.

 

If that isn't one of the coolest rock album tracks ever, i don't know what is.