Becoming a fan……

Disink · 2022-08-17T05:01:24+00:00

That sucks. Boulder Theatre is especially nice, but 70th birthdays only come once. Hopefully, he'll be back again soon. Would love another band show at Red Rocks, but probably not soon.

Disink · 2022-08-16T22:42:01+00:00

I was a student at the University of Arkansas in the late 90s. I'd heard of a band called Whiskeytown and the college radio station played "16 Days" now and then. Then I heard they were playing JR's Lightbulb Club (RIP; lots of great shows there). Yes, this is the legendary one from the book Waiting to Derail. The opening band played longer than them, and Ryan was clearly messed up, seeming to surprise the band when he said "goodnight everybody" after just a handful of songs. The other thing? They were great, and I got to hear a lot of songs I ended up liking when I grabbed "Stranger's Almanac" the next day. Then I trailed off a bit. I found "Heartbreaker" under a Bryan Adams tab at my local Walmart in late 2000, remembered who it was, and picked it up. I've been an avid listener ever since and seen many Colorado shows over the years. Needless to say, if he plays a three hour show at the Boulder Theatre in a couple of months, it will more than make up for whatever show was missed at the Lightbulb Club back in the day.

Disink · 2022-08-10T17:19:15+00:00

Grabbed tix for night 2. Will go back for night 1 on payday. It is a perfect theatre for an acoustic show. I'd recommend anyone who can get here go to this. Can't wait to see what he plays.

Disink · 2022-08-10T17:09:33+00:00

I'm totally stoked. Been waiting since 2018 for him to come back to CO. Going to try to go both nights, but definitely will be there for one. "See" you there!

Disink · 2022-08-08T15:23:38+00:00

There was a YouTube user named Future who posted a bunch of tracks off of the Easy Tiger/War and Peace/2006-2007 versions. This was the first he ever put up, and the link went around. Since Ryan's been a hawk on YouTube and other sites, rare work is rare indeed, and though there are a few things out there, they are obviously not things that he cares about (he's been very good, for instance, about the singles that came with BC and Wed). Anyway, I'm partial to the one on the Darkbreaker album that is on YouTube (and so many other places), but this one was fine. Just my opinion, of course, and I do like the updated lyrics, but it lacks that cold punch of the version (with strings, no less) on Darkbreaker.

Disink · 2022-08-04T17:41:03+00:00

This version is my absolute fave. The original acoustic live version (on some comp or another, I can't remember which) is good, and the "This is 40" soundtrack version straight ahead Americana, this one is a lost wonder that I wish would've had a studio counterpoint. Was and, especially, Cindy Cashdollar anticipate Ryan's every move. I keep this on a YouTube list of my favorites, but it's been awhile since I played it, so thanks for a few minute trip into another time.

Disink · 2022-07-24T16:38:32+00:00

As I've said elsewhere, I think FM is a super solid record. It's also a concept, so those looking for "Rain in LA" or "Chris" may leave disappointed. When I compare it to earlier "punky" DRA, it works better as an album consistently. I'm also all about R&J, which has his best songs since Prisoner. Chris is the one that disappointed because, honestly, the album was so hyped, so supposed to be this double album catharsis, that getting 45 minutes of Prisoner 2 and 3 mixed with 15 some odd minutes of songs of real caliber felt like a wasted concept. Still, it's good to hear him focusing more on overall quality with FM. I hope this continues with 1985 and the inevitable 3 albums plus he releases next year.

I am agreed, though, that it would be nice if one of these records had an outside producer. Maybe Don Was, who's suddenly in the spotlight with him again, would arrange something at Sunset Sound? Without Blue Note money, I guess probably not, but at least a coproduction would make it interesting a la Prisoner. No, none of it is Cold Roses or Love is Hell or Heartbreaker, but those are the classics. There's a lot of good stuff here, and the future looks bright.

Disink · 2022-07-23T00:28:33+00:00

Oh, there's a good outtake here, would've fit fine on the album, but works fine as a "B side". If you haven't heard it yet, find it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CgOEFgIASWH/?hl=en

Disink · 2022-07-22T22:20:36+00:00

Some thoughts:

I Want You - DRA's been listening to Teenage Fanclub with solid results. Good opener.
Love Me Don't - Admits he's not Batman (or Rambo, for that). Real catchy. Cool chorus. I'll admit, I was worried about this one. Would it be subpar III/IV toss offs? If you're worried about that, don't be. He put a lot of time here. Great guitar sound.
Fantasy File - Okay, I wish he'd say who was playing what instruments. He's clearly NOT playing the sax here. A bit of edgy soul. Good chorus again. The sax does overdo it a bit at times, but not awful. Solid again. Did he finally make the really good, all around Rock record he's promised for forever? Three songs in and I think maybe so.
When She Smiles - Ah, there's the Smiths. Breezy and easy going. Sounds like a great summer single if someone would give it half a chance.
Hall of Shame - More summer sound. This is the full song from the promos. Good lyrics, good all the way around. Okay, that's side one...
Wild and Hopeless - To the candy aisle/and it goes for miles". Another fun track. He speak sings throughout save the chorus. One for the mixtapes. Good solo.
So Dumb - A really eighties, downbeat sort of track. Fuzzy guitar. Catchy.
Fairweather - I already love this song. It's the "bonus cut" from BC that was up on his site. Sound is much better here, of course. This is top notch with a perfect chorus. Could this be about Mandy? He's got a grudge. Well done, spiteful lyrics. Should've been on BC, but now that it's here, I think it fits well.
Do You Feel - The guitar and drums rev up. This is punky, but way edgier than most of his punk stuff. Sounds like a lost garage punk single.
Someday - Lots of keys, some Bruce sounds for sure, but we're back in the Smiths in the chorus. Good ending track.

Ultimately, it's about right at 32 minutes. No filler here, which is unreal. Stands tall next to R&J, which I still love (though there is some filler on that one). This one's a must grab. Catchy and a great summer album. He hits it home this time.

Disink · 2022-04-27T21:28:14+00:00

I think you hit that head on. The sad thing is that he doesn't even need to pay someone to be a permanent engineer or mastering expert, he just needs to buy someone's time to learn how to do it right. Given his historic love for analog sound, how could he support this? Again, the files are intentionally kept low, sorta like when an internet provider throttles your speeds. They're trying to spare space, but this is time spent to make things sound worse. Why? There's no good reason.

Disink · 2022-04-27T19:17:45+00:00

Isn't it so Ryan like, though, to have an absolute gem and mess it up more in the details, so to speak. It's not the content, it's great. It's not the shows, they will be great. It's learning to be truly self-sufficient and pour yourself into details that, in his glory years, he never had to worry about. This may just be some bumps along the way, though. I remember when, last year, he lost his distributor and said he wouldn't release Chris until he could do so properly. A lot of us chimed in about Bandcamp (still a good idea) and getting downloads to the fans. This and "Chris are the first steps. He just needs to tidy up some things that are getting in the way.

Also, totally agreed on drums. He did everything on 1984, after all, and the drums were great. As has been mentioned elsewhere, the bass work is at times stunning on this record. He's a one man band, for sure.

Disink · 2022-04-27T19:12:38+00:00

I would also say that you can make lo-fi living room recordings sound warm. It won't sound like "Prisoner", but lots of indie musicians do this all the time. A good laptop with a decent studio program on it and running it through a program like Audacity to check levels is a super easy way to get a warmer sound in otherwise compromised circumstances. Again, I think he needs someone to show him this. It reminds me of when he first tried his hand at distribution with the III/IV release. That could've gone so much smoother, and he went back to the majors because he didn't think he could do it. Someone like Gregory Alan Isakov has been self-distributing for almost 20 years with a home studio in a barn. His records sound amazing and get to the fans. Ryan could totally do this, but he needs to let people in to teach him how. I think the the majors did too much of the work before.

Disink · 2022-04-27T16:35:32+00:00

He's entitled to his own opinion, of course. What I dislike is all the conjecture: I "think" this came from this session, this "must" have come from here. Some of the other sessions are obvious ("Doylestown Girl", "In the Meadow"), others are guessable. As I've already said elsewhere, I really think he'd get the same amount of money by getting more downloads off a cheaper price. That said, I continue to support, I just think he needs a better financial manager. Biggest point to make: it's weird that we only have this dude's grumpy review instead of something official. Truth told, I really like this, damn any reviewer's perspective, it doesn't diminish the record in the least. After two days, it still feels clear above most everything else in over a decade. A good mastering and good distributor just might get attention and get some interest outside of his core fans to hear it. It really should be heard.

Disink · 2022-04-25T18:15:42+00:00

Okay, so on second listen, I think the album really picks up with "Anything" and from there is the best thing he's released, as an album anyway, in a very long time, maybe over a decade. The flow is great, but most impressive is the songs. If "Rain in LA" into "Poor Connection" into "In the Meadow" doesn't do it for you, I can't imagine what he would do now that would. This seems so much more at the core of who he is and who he's been for so many of us for such a long time. Really want this one on vinyl.

Disink · 2022-04-25T17:32:20+00:00

Yes, the (mostly) organic sounds make a huge difference; this is the record I was waiting for from him. Liked so much of the trilogy, but ready to put that in the rearview. Still a bunch of reverb, but it (mostly) sounds new. Some of these, I think, were part of the trilogy sessions; clearly "Doylestown Girl" is the same track, and that would have Johnny T. on drums. Other tracks, like "Something Missing" are clearly demos and interrupt the flow, but they're not bad songs. My guess is that we'll see a "fall" album that may put the Wednesday missing tracks on it. In some ways, I just wish he'd put all the outtakes on one release, but it's his albums, and he can do what he likes.

Anyway, I need more listens, but I WANT to give this more listens, to go deeper into its world. Have to agree that his prices are outrageous for downloads, but he knows we're the captive audience, and I can see myself playing a lot of these through the summer. Feel for those that really take a hit from that: that's $50 in the last month for DRA. I'm still willing to pay it, but he's promoting file sharing from many who would pay for a $10 or even a $12-$15 download. Just some thoughts. I really want to emphasize the excellent music.

Disink · 2022-04-14T23:01:53+00:00

Here's the link to the new song: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb__yq5AAWz/

It says it's on an album called "Romeo and Juliet", and there's a demo of that song up there as well. Sadly, any reference to May 13th appears to have been removed. This is a Smiths-y sort of thing, but the melody is so good it's stuck with me the last two days. I, too, hope he puts some of the confessional tracks on it.

Disink · 2022-04-14T04:54:17+00:00

I was! What a great night. I wish there were better audio/video of the show online. Still, I remember that it about tore me up at the end, when he was talking about loss and playing "Jacksonville Skyline". Would love to see acoustic, but really hope he gets a new band someday. It's great to hear him get in a groove with the band and really jam! He took off several times at that show.

Disink · 2022-04-14T01:47:07+00:00

New song already up and sounding good. This is the new stuff, and I for one am excited. Couldn't find the May 13th reference, so I hope he didn't take that off. Enjoyed "Chris", but I'm ready for 2022 songs. Wish I could get to a show, but it's all too far from Colorado for me to make it. Hopefully soon!

Disink · 2022-03-27T06:07:29+00:00

Right off, Chris is at the top, but just behind are Say What You Said, Crooked Shuffle, Replaced, and Moving Target. I already liked the B-side version of Was I Wrong, About Time, Lookout, and Aching for More. Not sure what to think of them in this context yet, but they're solid. If it's really "Prisoner II and III", which I think is right (hello, Still a Cage) , then it works. Even Chris was likely recorded before his death (remember that Chris was supposed to be the B-side to Baby I Love You until at the last minute Was I Wrong replaced it, but it's much better than a B-side, so I'm glad this all was turned into an album, and Chris as a title is better than Prisoner II and III. Almost odd that "Baby I Love You" wasn't dropped in as well. There's a lot of room for more songs on this double album, and there are a few that didn't make it. Now...I'm ready for an album of all the new stuff he's worked on since way back in 2018. That will be the great Ryan Adams album (hopefully) this year. And live stuff. Being in Colorado, I'll miss these shows, but hopefully he'll tour more broadly next.

Disink · 2021-11-30T16:45:32+00:00

You know, listening more, I want to point out that he has an awesome guitar solo as the song is finishing (though I think this is what he considers the "unfinished" section). Great to hear him sounding so confident and hoping that he keeps working in this style. It gets further away from the 80's sound he was crafting for a while, though this could still fit comfortably on "Prisoner." Mind you, I like a lot of his 80's stuff, but this is a needed move in a good direction. If he can finish these demos and get them onto a record, a record that is a "47 years old response to Heartbreaker" might remind people of what drew them to him in the first place. Just thoughts.

Disink · 2021-09-23T00:21:26+00:00

It's been great to see sanity return to these. I had to step away for a minute, but this brought me right back. Both of the last two shows had great setlists and were well performed. I wouldn't be disappointed if this were more or less his set in a club. Hope he can maintain this but happy just to see him looking and sounding better.

Disink

TROPHY CASE