Dancing On the Wing - The Felice Brothers

Dancing On the Wing - The Felice Brothers

4:28

Life In the Dark, 2016

Written by Greg Farley, Ian Felice, James Felice and Josh Rawson

The Band comparisons are inevitable.  With typically baffling, specific lyrics ("Probably call me in a year / Sobbing for a chandelier / Eating sherbet / In some sad suburbia / And dating a disturbing profiteer") and a shuffling, ramshackle Americana tune with scratchy guitar, fiddle, organ, and harmonies, it's as close to the Band as you get without going back in time.  Whether the song actually means anything is or just joyous nonsense, at least it's a merry hoedown.

Dry My Tears and Move On - The Del McCoury Band

Dry My Tears and Move On - The Del McCoury Band

3:20

It's Just the Night, 2003

Written by Richard Thompson

A song of proud defiance in the face of lost love.  The narrator's love no longer dreams of him; the spark has gone out.  But does he wallow?  Has his entire world ended, as in so many other songs?  No.  This guy's got shiny shoes and a nice suit and he can do better.  "If you don't need me there's someone else who needs me out there / She's kind and tender and one day I'll meet her I swear."  This song was first released by Thompson on his 1999 album Mock Tudor in a pathos-drenched slow burn, but here Del McCoury turns it into a fast-packed bluegrass romp.  Thompson sounds like he's trying to convince himself; the guy in this version means it.

Draggin' the River - Ferlin Husky

Draggin' the River - Ferlin Husky

2:10

single, 1959

Written by Vic McAlpine

I'm amazed that I haven't heard of this honky-tonk singer, who released dozens of albums over a seven-decade career, had 11 top ten hits, two dozen top 20 hits, and was inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame.  In this single, sounding like a countrified Elvis, he croons over a deceptively bright, bouncing melody a sad tale of being left, the spark of love now cold and dark: "Well, if things get worse, I can't shake this curse / Then start draggin' the river for me."  Grim!

Don't Look Back - The Remains

Don't Look Back - The Remains

2:38

The Remains, 1966

Written by Billy Vera

The Remains, often labelled garage rock although with tighter musicianship and clearer production than most bands filed under that rubric, were slated for great things.  They were getting good word of mouth in the 1960s and even opened for the Beatles in Candelstick Park.  Unfortunately, their drummer quit, they broke up, and their debut album came out a few months later with no tour or acclaim.  They rose to a kind of cult fame over the years, however, and released their second album in 2002.  This tough soul-influenced rocker, sounding a bit like Them, is a jagged track with a nice call-and-response chorus.  At about one minute in, the singer says, "All right now, hold it, hold it!" and delivers an impassioned half-spoken bridge.  It's a fun faux impromptu bit that makes the recording seem immediate and dynamic.

Dancing Lady - Teddy and the Rough Riders

Dancing Lady - Teddy and the Rough Riders

2:56

single, 2020

Written by Teddy and the Rough Riders

Teddy and the Rough Riders is a Nashville-based country rock duo.  Sounding like a cross between the Flying Burrito Brothers and Ween at their most earnest circa 12 Golden Country Greats, this song, with some solid steel guitar work, offers a deadpan but slyly weird neo-country ballad.  The narrator isn't doing well, but his infatuation with the titular dancing lady makes up for his troubles.  "This house is up for rent / Payment's overdue / Honey, I'm heaven sent / I wanna give it all over to you."

Something Big - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Something Big - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

4:44

Hard Promises, 1981

Written by Tom Petty

According to tour manager Richard Fernandez, Bob Dylan said this was one of the best songs Tom Petty ever wrote.  I don't agree, personally, but I can see the appeal to someone who's lived the touring life, and to Dylan's sense of story.  The song centers on a restless guy named Speedball living on the road, sleeping in cheap motels and looking for a drink, maybe trying to get the next tour together.  It hints at long nights, nameless partners, and seedy plans.  "And he was not looking for romance, just someone he could trust."   This could be about a traveling musician.  Or, it could be about some illegal caper being put together in a motel lobby in the wee hours of the night.  The strength of the song is in that lack of specificity, so it's easy for the listener to identify with.  The song lives in that in-between space, where everything feels on the precipice of importance, but nothing has quite taken shape yet.

Shadows - Tony Rice

Shadows - Tony Rice

3:44

Native American, 1988

Written by Gordon Lightfoot, 1982

If you closed your eyes, you'd think this was Gordon Lightfoot singing, and yes, he wrote the song.  It's a love ballad, in which the narrator is astounded at the mystery of love and the natural world.  "Won't you lie down by me baby / Run your fingers through my hands / I've been all around the town / And still I do not understand."  That's a perfect image, clear-eyed yet still stumped by the dearth of language.  If a poet like Lightfoot can't express the mystery, what chance do we mortals have?  Rice's beautiful acoustic guitar is a perfect accompaniment to this gorgeous sentiment; it sits with the words, quietly and simply.

Slow Train Coming [live] - Bob Dylan

Slow Train Coming [live] - Bob Dylan
4:51
The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981, 2017 (recorded 1981)
Written by Bob Dylan

There are no less than six versions of "Slow Train" on this Bootleg set; the one featured here was recorded live at Earls Court, London, June 27, 1981.  This rendition, while riveting, with some excellent backing vocals, is not quite as blistering and fiery as I might like it, but as the song is one of Dylan's best tracks from his so-called gospel albums, I'll take it anyway.  And to be fair, there is a great guitar solo before the last verse.

Something You Got - Them

Something You Got - Them

2:34

Them Again, 1966

Written by Chris Kenner, 1961

The writer of this song, Chris Kenner, also wrote "I Like It Like That," a hit for the Dave Clark Five; "Land of 1000 Dances," a top ten hit for Wilson Pickett; and "Sick And Tired," a hit for Fats Domino.  He never made it very big on his own name, probably due to the usual racist attitudes of the time, but certainly not helped by his alcoholism and a statutory rape charge.  Oh yeah, this song, Them's version.  It's a fine R&B blues shuffle, with young Van's yowling, soul-inspired vocal hitting the spot and a buzzy sax that gives it a real punch.

Supernatural Superserious - R.E.M.

Supernatural Superserious - R.E.M.

3:24

Accelerate, 2008

Written by Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe

This is an energetic, forceful song with big crunchy guitar, rare for late-period R.E.M.  Apparently, the lyrics are inspired by a humiliating experience that Stipe remembered from his time working as summer camp counselor: "At the summer camp where you volunteered / No one saw your face, no one saw your fear."  The details are of course only hinted at: "From the seance where you first betrayed / An open heart on a darkened stage."  Of course, the song isn't just about one bad memory, but can be interpreted as encouraging people to cast off old selves and enjoying who they were meant to be.