Saw JCM in Denver in '88 and it was a tremendous rock and roll show. Better than the bloated Springsteen gig from the year before. And "Scarecrow" is a much better album than "Born In the USA". Similar themes, but JCM music was superior and his lyrics much more nuanced. Compare MTV-fodder "Glory Days" with JCM's "Minutes to Memories": 2 songs about getting older and learning lessons as you go. It's no contest.
Whenever i think of underrated, or underappreciated rock albums/songs Human Wheels will always be at the top of my list.
This footage is even better: 1080p, 60fps, and better exposure as well. Amazing that this was shot from what appears to be the loge:
Am i the only one who thinks it's about time John ditch his 24/7 painter's uniform and start dressing normal again, come on man.
Like a few on this thread I much prefer him over Springsteen. Started buying his stuff at American Fool and went through until he stopped releasing on vinyl, at which point I started to drift away (I vaguely seem to remember I have one of his on CD). The Lonesome Jubilee was the last really good one for me, but I think his Don Gehman albums are the stand outs.
Good to see Mellencamp and Springsteen performing together. I think Mellencamp's vocals sound better that I expected. I'd like to see Mellencamp pull off a late career masterpiece like Dylan or even Bruce's Western Stars.
Very nice and answers the “Who’s shorter?” question. But either Mellencamp is wearing lifts or Simon is an actual hobbit. (No offense intended. I love short people.)
Same here, for me it comes down to his songs just being more listenable ''better melodies, production, sonics etc...''. There's a reason why three ''Jack And Diane, Pink Houses, Small Town'' of his songs have crossed over to become American standards, Cherry Bomb may be on it's way to becoming one as well.
Surely you have not heard ''Life, Death, Love & Freedom'' or ''No Better Than This''. Whatever Dylan and Bruce have put out of late pale in comparison.
Yep, I own them ( I really like No Better Than This ) I don't think they compare to his glory days run from Uh, Huh to The Lonesome Jubilee. Thanks!
Another brilliant late career song, also from ''Life, Death, Love And Freedom''. ''Well all my friends are Sick or dying And I'm here all by myself All I got left Is a head full of memories And the thought of my upcoming death Ain't a gonna need this body much longer Ain't a gonna need this body much more I put in ten million hours Washed up and worn out for sure''
Nice to see someone else recognizing "Minutes To Memories"...probably my favorite JCM song ever (followed by Theo & Weird Henry).
Yes indeed. Between a Laugh and a Tear is another great one that I've always coupled with Minutes to Memories. And nice deep cut pick on Theo & Weird Henry! I really like Mansions in Heaven off of Big Daddy.
For a guy mostly known for his 80s hits John sure had an incredible amount of truly great deep tracks spread throughout all of his albums. Two tracks from "The Lonesome Jubilee" i never hear mentioned are "Empty Hands" and what is probably John's angriest song "Down And Out In Paradise" , both songs tackle the subject of poverty in a major way, and both hook you in with powerful choruses. Down And Out In Paradise
Big fan since the early 80's. I saw the Scarecrow tour and saw him again recently. But I have a question - when John sings "I know I'm a real good dancer" he's being sarcastic, right? This is the worst dancing I've ever seen. He nearly falls down a couple of times.
Saturday is often my only day off. There are times when I wake up early those mornings and put on Whenever We Wanted right after the coffee's made. One of my favorite ways to start a day off.
I'm a pretty BIG fan of John Mellencamp, and have been since 1980 when he released Nothing Matters and What If It Did. I think he has been superbly consistent throughout his career, despite not charting like he did through the 1980s. I'm likely preaching to the converted, but two older albums often overlooked are Nothing Matters... and his self-titled album, John Cougar (1979). The S/T album on the Riva label is remarkably well recorded, and I cannot recommend it strong enough to anyone who wants to mine his back catalog (both albums are essential to the avid fan). That said, here are some deeper tracks through the years that I think reveal his multi-faceted talents as a singer-songwriter who, by any sane account, put him in the same elite league as Springsteen, Young, Dylan, Seger, Petty et al. (I realize a couple/few aren't written by him.) A Little Night Dancin' Ain't Even Done With The Night Between A Laugh And A Tear Big Daddy Of Them All Blue Charlotte Country Gentleman Do You Think That's Fair Don't Forget About Me Grandview Lawless Times My Sweet Love Save Some Time To Dream Small Paradise Sugar Marie Sweet Evening Breeze Taxi Dancer Teardrops Will Fall Tears In Vain The Full Catastrophe Thinking About You To M.G. (Wherever She May Be)* From his 1979 S/T album, here is Taxi Dancer:
I think his boxset, On the Rural Route, is one of the best box sets out there. Great program, great notes from Mellencamp on every song, and some great unreleased songs and outtakes. In my opinion, no artist has had a more consistently impressive back half of their career. His new releases get no play anymore but the last 10 albums, or so, are better than the first 10 (roughly speaking, and, of course, just my opinion Love the man and wish he'd put out a new album every year!
