"Never put me in your box if your shit eats tapes"

Presently the highlight of my work day is the ten mile commute, which depending on traffic takes anywhere from fifteen to forty five minutes (yesterday an accident on the bridge into Newington stretched the ride home to almost ninety minutes). I've learned to pack an extra snack for the drive and I've been using the time to rediscover some old favorite albums.

This week's soundtrack:


Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid: Bob Dylan Soundtrack - If I could only take five Bob Dylan albums with me to a deserted island, PG&BtK wouldn't make the cut. Give me six and this shambling, ambient afterthought would be a lock. Three chord instrumentals bleed into three chord western fairy tales ad nauseam - multiple songs named "Billy" with only the slightest of variations - but the effect as a whole is oddly moving. Having seen the movie definitely improves the experience; every time I hear the opening of "Knocking on Heaven's Door," I see Slim Pickens, gut-shot and brokenhearted, staggering down to the river to die in his baby's arms and I get all choked up.

Key track: "Final Theme," woodwinds carry the melody and Dylan harmonizes a wordless, moaning eulogy for the dying West.




Illmatic - Nas - "Stop fucking around and be a man" advises the intro sample (from the graffiti film Wild Style) and stuck in traffic, pondering the wrinkles in my business casual attire, the grim existentialism of Illmatic resonates in a far different way than it was probably intended to. Illmatic stands head and shoulders over other hip hop classics in both lyrical and production consistency; the beats are uniformly forceful and Nas transitions seamlessly from documentary style street narratives to metaphysical musings. No skits, no bullshit dance tracks for MTV, just line after line of tough, thoughtful hip-hop.

Key Track: "Life's a Bitch," AZ and Nas trade verses about a world where "fuck who's the baddest/a person's status depends on salary."



What's in your car or on your headphones on the way to and from work?

Had To Cry Today

It is not often that I am moved to tears by a song, but I was today in Dunkin Donuts over an everything bagel with cream cheese. The song I am referring to is, of course, the fourth track on Scott Walker's solo debut, Scott, which is a cover of the sub-2:00 masterpiece penned by Tim Hardin, "Lady Came From Baltimore":

C G F C
The lady came from Baltimore, all she wore was lace
F C G
She didn't know that I was poor, she never saw my place
Am G F C
I was there to steal her money, to take her rings and run
F C G C
And then I fell in love with the lady and got away with none

C G F C
The lady's name was Susan Moore, her daddy read the law
F C G
She didn't know that I was poor and lived outside the law
C G F C
Her daddy said I was a thief and didn't marry her for love
F C G C
But I was Susan's true belief and married her for love
Am G F C
I was there to steal her money, to take her rings and run
F C G C
And then I fell in love with the lady and got away with none

C G F C
The house she lived in had a wall to keep the robbers out
F C G
She never stopped to think at all that that's what I'm about
Am G F C
I was there to steal her money, to take her rings and run
F C G F C
And then I fell in love with the lady and got away with none.

Eclipsing the Hardin version released the same year by a great deal, Walker's performance is nothing short of breathtaking. Highly recommended listening.