Hard Hitting Songs

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club: Cipher (2008)

hardhittingsongs — Fri, 06 May 2011 19:58:10 +0000

AMG: Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, the country-punk band who’ve been spreading their gospel of tongue-in-cheek hellfire since the early ’90s, return to Alternative Tentacles for their fifth studio full-length, Cipher. As per usual, the album is a kind of puritanical sermon on good and evil, God and the Devil, combined with a Western lawlessness that can be nearly chilling at times. Slim’s the main singer here, his half-crazed voice like one of a man who’s been pushed too far one too many times, leading the way through the songs of sin and condemnation, women and whiskey, with only a very few hints at redemption. Slim’s god is a vengeful one, as ready to punish as he is save. The momentously creepy “Jesus Is in My Body: My Body Has Let Me Down” tells the story of a destructive apocalypse, while “Everyone Is Guilty #2″ goes from asking to open for Jesus (“your name still would draw a crowd/It would help our careers if we could warm up your show”) to a menacing break in which the vocalist drawls out accusations and demands that Jesus take responsibility for them. The band doesn’t let anyone else off the hook, either, naming, in the recurring “Introduction to the Power of Braces,” the ways in which their own faith has bent and how they will attempt to straighten it, or listing off specific sinners — themselves included — in “Children of the Lord.” The Auto Club play with familiar themes, like their take on Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” (itself a borrowed melody), called “This Land Is Our Land Redux,” a near-violent demand to take back the country from what it’s become, while the aforementioned “Children of the Lord” plays off the Sunday school song “Rise and Shine.” There’s a dark liveliness, a rebelliousness to the music, one that Slim Cessna has always exhibited, shown not only in the lyrics and vocal inflection but in the instrumentation, which is sprawling and tight at the same time, electric and acoustic, and the entire effect of which is absolutely captivating.

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Slim Cessna’s Auto Club: Buried Behind the Barn (2004)

hardhittingsongs — Fri, 06 May 2011 19:52:45 +0000

Twisted twangsters Slim Cessna’s Auto Club roar back with some raw, heart-shattering tracks from 2000 and 2001. Led by the vocals of Cessna and Munly, the Auto Club bares even more of their troubled souls than usual. Briefly released as a limited-to-200 CDR in 2004, these songs are basically unreleased, original versions of later album tracks and compilation songs. Whatever their destination, all eight are undeniably prime ‘n’ primal Auto Club–a rambunctious mix of joyful twang, acoustic Folk, Hillbilly picking, and old-time Gospel backed with words of spiritual angst, roadhouse wisdom, and whiskey-drinking sin ‘n’ salvation.

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Lift to Experience: The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads (2001)

hardhittingsongs — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 07:23:32 +0000

AMG: How’s this for a concept album: three musicians from Denton, TX, with the help of former Cocteau Twins Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde, blend My Bloody Valentine’s sonic feedback with Kitchens of Distinction’s swirling atmosphere and the grace of Jeff Buckley to detail the “crossroads of Texas and Jerusalem.” What could have been a tiresome exploration of awkward religious theories is instead a spellbinding journey into the heart of human emotion and guitar dynamics. Josh T. Pearson’s beautifully controlled croon works dark magic over arrangements that suggest and depict both the whisper of birth and the fury of Armageddon. When the band kicks things into gear, they take off into bold, thrilling musical vistas without a single fear that they’ll be misinterpreted or mocked. Highlights include the evocative thunderstorm of “Falling From Cloud 9,” the ten-minute history of the world that is “With Crippled Wings,” the fascinating brimstone of “These Are the Days,” and the brutal storyteller-style warnings that span all sorts of musical genres on “Into the Storm.” The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads mixes poetic imagery with controlled feedback and emotional expression like few albums outside of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. It’s a magnificent yet somehow subtle work of genius that delivers its strange message with incredible innovation and an inspiring feeling of a groundbreaking mission accomplished.

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John Callahan – Purple Winos in the Rain (2006)

hardhittingsongs — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:26:28 +0000

There’s absolutely nothing funny about a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. Unless, of course, that person is John Callahan. For nearly a decade, this irreverent cartoonist has been shocking America with his own special brand of wicked humor. In the world of Callahan, nothing is sacred, nothing is taboo and nothing is funnier! Callahan writes songs? Callahan sings? Callahan plays harmonica? What’s the world coming to???? The London Independent calls his songs “Beautiful, but dark…”. He wrote all the music and lyrics himself and is backed up by many notable musicians. The album is produced by blues legend Terry Robb, with a special cameo appearance by Tom Waits. In all seriousness, John Callahan is an award winning cartoonist whose work appears in newspapers worldwide in addition to having published a dozen books. He has been featured on NPR, 60 Minutes and the cover of the New York Times Sunday Magazine in addition to being the only cartoonist mentioned in the O.J. Simpson trial.

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Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Bedhead Vol. 5 (a.k.a. What Will Happen Next)

hardhittingsongs — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 11:58:47 +0000

Today I received my “strictly limited edition deluxe vinyl Cardinology package” (!) and to celebrate I’m sharing the 5th installment of the excellent Ryan Adams bootleg series, Bedhead.

Remember to stop by the Ryan Adams Archive

Mediafire

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Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Disc I

——–

1. Trains 5/4/05
2. Don’t Fail Me Now 7/27/05
3. Elizabeth You Were Born To Play The Part 5/1/05
4. To Be Young 5/21/05
5. Shakedown On 9th Street 5/16/05
6. When The Stars Go Blue 5/7/05
7. Let It Ride 5/4/05
8. Blossom 5/1/05
9. What Sin Replaces Love->Beautiful Sorta 5/11/05
10. Please Do Not Let Me Go 6/3/05
11. Rosebud 6/5/05
12. Sweet Lil’ Gal 5/4/05

Disc II

——–

1. Cold Roses->NY, NY 5/7/05
2. Stella Blue 7/26/05
3. Already Gone 6/11/05
4. Wonderwall 6/17/05
5. Easy Plateau 5/14/05
6. Meadowlake Street 5/1/05
7. Wharf Rat->Bird Song 6/16/05
8. You Will Always Be The Same 6/7/05
9. Beachfront Town 4/29/05

Disc III

——–

1. A Kiss Before I Go 5/17/05
2. My Winding Wheel 5/6/05
3. Games 5/16/05
4. Mockingbird Song 5/14/05
5. This Is It 5/6/05
6. Come Pick Me Up 5/4/05
7. The Hardest Part 5/17/05
8. Strawberry Wine 5/16/05
9. Hard Way To Fall 7/26/05
10. Tennessee Sucks 5/7/05
11. Oh My Sweet Carolina 6/16/05
12. La Cienga Just Smiled 5/7/05
13. Brown Sugar 6/7/05
14. Expressway To Your Skull 8/7/05

Disc IV

——–

1. Love Is Hell 6/4/05
2. When Will You Come Back Home 5/21/05
3. Dear John 5/4/05
4. Sweet Illusions 5/3/05
5. Dance All Night 6/4/05
6. Madeline 8/9/05
7. Just Like A Whore 6/7/05
8. Why Do They Leave 5/21/05
9. Long Black Veil 7/26/05
10. 16 Days 6/10/05
11. Dear Chicago 6/17/05
12. Harder Now That It’s Over 6/3/05
13. Faithless Street 6/8/05
14. Prison Letter 7/27/05
15. I See Monsters 6/11/05
16. I Still Miss Someone 5/9/05

Disc V

——–

1. The End 5/16/05
2. Call Me On Your Way Back Home 6/10/05
3. Magnolia Mountain 11/18/05
4. Pa 5/3/05
5. Peaceful Valley 5/14/05
6. Nightbirds 6/3/05
7. September 5/16/05
8. My Heart Is Broken 6/8/05
9. Houses On The Hill 6/8/05
10. Willow Jane 11/18/05
11. Summer of ’69 7/26/05
12. Sylvia Plath 5/14/05
13. Jacksonville Skyline 5/4/05
14. Now That Youre Gone 11/18/05
15. Rescue Blues 6/3/05
16. I Will Learn To Love 5/11/05

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Bedhead Vol. 4 (a.k.a. After The Fall…)

hardhittingsongs — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 08:08:07 +0000

Bedhead, chapter the fourth: After The Fall. Compiled by the good guys at Ryan Adams Archive. Converted to mp3 and tagged by Woody @ hardhittingsongs.

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Tracklist:

Bedhead 4 – After The Fall
2004 Tour Compilation
Various SBD sources
After The Fall is the 4th in the Bedhead Series which comprises:
Bedhead(Volumes 1-3)
Live Is Hell (Volumes 4-7)
Live Rock’nRoll (Volumes 8-10)
After The Fall (Volumes 11-14)
Tracklist
Disc 1:
1. To Be Young[+]
2. Anybody Wanna Take Me Home[=]
3. Love Is Hell[*]
4. I Wanna See You Smiling Back At Me[=]
5. White Lights[@]
6. Look At Me I’m Crazy(improv)[@]
7. Steve Miller and Weed[=]
8. Brooklyn[<]
9. Don’t Fail Me Now[^]
10. When The Stars Go Blue[#]
11. Please Don’t Let Me Go[#]
12. Dear Chicago[*]
13. Harder Now It’s Over[>]
14. The Hardest Part[@]
15. Beautiful Sorta[>]
16. Sweet Illusions[&]
17. Magnolia Mountain[*]
Disc 2:
1. Learn To Love[*]
2. Strawberry Wine[+]
3. Nightbirds[^]
4. My Baby Blue[@]
5. Whether We Make It Or Not[@]
6. Sweet Illusions[$]
7. The Sadness[+]
8. Elizabeth,You Were Born To Play The Part[&]
9. Now That You’re Gone[@]
10. In My Time Of Need[%]
11. Welcome To The City(improv)[^]
12. Wharf Rat > New York, New York > Wharf Rat[^]
Disc 3:
1. Call Me On Your Way Back Home[<]
2. AMY[^]
3. Jacksonville Skyline[^]
4. Why Do They Leave?[@]
5. Oh My Sweet Carolina[#]
6. Winding Wheel[%]
7. Come Pick Me Up[=]
8. La Cienega Just Smiled[<]
9. The Rescue Blues[<]
10. SYLVIA PLATH[%]
11. Brown Sugar[&]
12. Solitaire[+]
13. Last Nite[<]
14. I Still Miss Someone[>]
Disc 4:
1. Learn How To Say Goodbye[+]
2. Your Love Is An Impossible Dream[^]
3. Tennesse Sucks[>]
4. Chin Up Cheer Up[&]
5. Prison Letter[^]
6. Dear Chicago[^]
7. Wonderwall[>]
8. This House Is Not For Sale[*]
9. This Is It[*]
10. I See Monsters[%]
11. Luxury[=]
12. Closer When She Goes[$]
13. Don’t Even Know Her Name[%]
14. Wish You Were Here[*]
Source Info: Various Soundboards
[+] 09/13/04 Blue Note in Columbia, MO
[=] 09/14/04 New Daisy Theater in Memphis, TN
[@] 09/15/04 Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA
[#] 09/17/04 ACL in Austin, TX
[$] 09/20/04 Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, CA
[%] 09/22/04 Warfield Theater in San Francisco, CA
[^] 09/23/04 The Fillmore in San Francisco, CA
[&] 11/15/04 State Theater in Minneapolis, MN
[*] 11/16/04 Sokol Auditorium in Omaha, NE
[<] 11/19/04 Bogart’s in Cincinnati, OH
[>] 11/20/04 Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN
Realization
Archival Recording & Preservation:
~ Dan Billmeyer, Joel Swaney, and Other Tapers
Mastering & Compilation: Joel Swaney
Track Selection & Compilation: John Carlin
Artwork: Joel Swaney
Cover Photography: Elizabeth Holt
Thanks to everyone involved in the recording of the shows!

Ryan Adams – Bedhead Vol. 3 (a.k.a. Live Rock’n'Roll)

hardhittingsongs — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:13:51 +0000

Voila! 3rd chapter of the Bedhead-bootlegs. Converted to mp3 and tagged correctly for your pleasure, by yours truly…

Mediafire

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Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Disc 1
   1. 1974, Washington, DC, 12/07/03
   2. Luminol, Washington, DC, 12/07/03
   3. She’s Lost Total Control, Philadelphia, PA, 12/06/03
   4. This Is It, London, GB, 01/17/04
   5. So Alive, London, GB, 01/15/04
   6. Wish You Were Here, Amsterdam, NL, 11/20/03 ***
   7. Anybody Wanna Take Me Home?, Chicago, IL, 12/13/03
   8. Liar, Philadelphia, PA, 12/06/03
   9. Shallow, Washington, DC, 12/07/03
10. Note To Self: Don’t Die, Philadelphia, PA, 12/06/03
11. Boys, Philadelphia, PA, 12/06/03
12. Don’t Even Know Her Name, Philadelphia, PA, 12/06/03
13. What Do You Want?, Boston, MA, 12/03/03 ***
14. Travelling, Paris, F, 11/22/03 ***
15. I Go’t Nothing For You, Stockholm, S, 11/14/03
16. Your Love Is An Impossible Dream, Boston, MA, 12/03/03 ***
17. Little Baby Fingers, Cambridge, GB, 01/17/04 ***
18. One By One, London, GB, 01/17/04
19. Rock’n'Roll, Stockholm, S, 11/14/03
20. Burning Photographs, Amsterdam, NL, 11/19/03
21. So Alive, Amsterdam, NL, 11/19/03
22. The Drug’s Not Working, Manchester, GB, 11/24/03
Disc 2
   1. Firecracker, Glasgow, GB, 11/25/03
   2. New York, New York, Stockholm, S, 11/14/03
   3. Do Miss America, London, GB, 11/26/03
   4. Shallow, London, GB, 11/26/03
   5. Love Is Hell, New York, NYC, 12/04/03
   6. This House Is Not For Sale, New York, NYC, 12/04/03
   7. This Is It, Philadelphia, PA, 12/06/03
   8. Nobody Girl, Minneapolis, MN, 12/14/03
   9. To Be Young, Chicago, IL, 12/13/03
10. Call Me On Your Way Back Home, London, GB, 11/26/03
11. Jacksonville Skyline, London, GB, 11/26/03
12. Bartering Lines, Washington, DC, 12/07/03
13. Not Gonna Make Out Of This One This Time, Amsterdam, NL, 11/20/03 ***
14. Oh My Sweet Carolina, Toronto, CDN, 12/10/03
15. Come Pick Me Up, New York, NYC, 12/04/03
16. I See Monsters, Dublin, IRL, 11/16/03
Disc 3
   1. Honey I’m Just Trying To Take You Home, Minneapolis, MN, 12/05/01
   2. Slave, Minneapolis, MN, 12/05/01
   3. C’mon Little Girl, Minneapolis, MN, 12/05/01
   4. The Shaking Blues, Boston, MA, 10/05/01
   5. Chat, New York, NYC, 05/23/01
   6. Dance All Night, Leicester, UK, 05/09/01
   7. Bus Back To Memphis, San Francisco, CA, 02/16/00 ***
   8. You Should Be So Lucky, Dublin, IRL, 05/02/01 ***
   9. He Knows My Name, Dublin, IRL, 05/02/01 ***
10. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Nashville, TN, 04/02/02
11. Snow Angel, St.Paul, MN, 11/02/00 ***
12. The Bar Is A Beautiful Place, New York, NYC, 05/23/01
13. Starting To Hurt, Houston, TX, 01/25/03
14. May Your Dreams Go Down In Flames, Houston, TX, 01/25/03
15. House Of Cards, Houston, TX, 01/25/03
16. Wharf Rat, Houston, TX, 01/25/03

Ryan Adams – Bedhead Vol. 2 (a.k.a. Live Is Hell)

hardhittingsongs — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:34:53 +0000

Here you go: part two of the excellent Bedhead-bootlegs, featuring some surprising cover versions, eg Sonic Youth and Madonna (!).

Remember, if you plan on burning these files to disc, then head over to Ryan Adams Archive, and use the torrents instead. These feature lossless formats like flac, and sound better than mp3.

Mediafire

(password is: hardhittingsongs)

Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Disc 1

1. Monday Night (09-26-00, Toronto, ONT)
2. 1974 (02-20-01, Los Angeles, CA) ***
3. Sunday, Wish You Were Here (10-22-01, Glasgow, UK) ***
4. Saturday Night (12-03-01, Columbia, MO)
5. 1986 (12-06-01, Iowa City, IA)
6. Off Broadway (12-07-01, Madison, WI)
7. This Time (02-06-02, Amsterdam, NL)
8. Mix Tapes (02-06-02, Amsterdam, NL)
9. Soundtrack Of Your Life (02-09-02, Stockholm, SWE)
10. Wish You Were Here (03-04-02, San Francisco, CA)
11. Diamonds Or Hearts (03-06-02, Portland, OR)
12. In The Night (03-01-02, San Diego, CA)
13. Psalms (03-22-02, Philadelphia, PA)
14. Going To Brownsville (03-07-02, Seattle, WA)
15. Queen Of The World (03-13-02, Chicago, IL)

Disc 2
1. World War 24 (04-09-02, London, UK)
2. Alanis (05-18-02, The Woodlands, TX)
3. English Girls Approximately (10-15-02, Chicago, IL) ***
4. Jim (11-06-02, Berlin, GER)
5. Stumblin’ Thru’ The Dark Tonight (11-15-02, Helsinki, FIN) ***
6. Shadowlands (11-28-02, Dublin, EIRE)
7. Thank You Louise (11-28-02, Dublin, EIRE)
8. Hard Way To Fall (12-01-02, Tilburg, NL)
9. Twice As Bad As Love (12-04-02, Utrecht, NL)
10. Learn How To Say Goodbye (12-04-02, Utrecht, NL)
11. I See Monsters (12-05-02, Groningen, NL)
12. Witch Hunt (12-07-02, Brussels, BEL)
13. Jeanne (01-17-03, New York, NY)
14. Chelsea Nights (01-17-03, New York, NY)

Disc 3
1. Expressway To Yr. Scull (12-05-02, Groningen, NL)
2. Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground (12-07-01, Madison, WI)
3. Wharf Rat (03-07-02, Seattle, WA)
4. Bitch (02-13-02, Hamburg, GER)
5. Beast Of Burden (01-17-03, New York, NY)
6. Dead Flowers (11-01-00, Minneapolis, MN)
7. Brown Sugar (12-08-02, Paris, FR)
8. Return Of The Grevious Angel (10-29-99, Asheville, NC)
9. Ooh Las Vegas (03-01-02, San Diego, CA)
10. Sin City (03-11-02, Minneapolis, MN)
11. Sweet Jane (10-30-02, Portland, OR)
12. I Still Miss Someone (11-05-00, Stockholm, SWE)

Disc 4
1. Nervous Breakdown (03-21-02, New York, NY)
2. Last Nite (04-10-02, London, UK)
3. Morning Glory (04-09-02, London, UK)
4. Lovesick Blues (10-05-01, Boston, MA)
5. Wonderwall (10-20-00, New York, NY)
6. Like A Virgin (12-01-02, Tilburg, NL)
7. Helpless (10-28-99, Nashville, TN)
8. Sweetest Decline (11-27-02, Dublin, EIRE)
9. Daniel (04-02-02, Nashville, TN)
10. Tiny Dancer (04-02-02, Nashville, TN)
11. Rocket Man (10-03-01, New York, NY)
12. I Wanna Be Your Dog (12-03-01, Columbia, MO)
13. Come Down Easy (12-05-02, Groningen, NL)

Ryan Adams – Bedhead Vol. 1

hardhittingsongs — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:19:38 +0000

Hello there, and welcome to Hard Hitting Songs… To start things off, here is the first installment of the amazing Ryan Adams bootleg-series Bedhead.

Torrents for these can be downloaded from the Ryan Adams Archive, but these files are either flac or shn files, and not tagged. I have converted them to mp3s (192 kbps) and tagged them… just for you

Enjoy!

MediaFire

Tracklist:

Disc 1 (Vol 1)
October 28, 1999 – Nashville, TN
01. Statuettes With Wounds
02. Onslow County
03. Folklore
October 29, 2000 – Asheville, NC
04. Memories Of You
05. It Wasn’t…
February 16, 2000 – Austin,TX
06. Don’t Fail Me Now
September 28, 2000 – Philadelphia, PA
07. Nighttime Gals
08. Gimme Sunshine
09. Born Yesterday
10. Oh My Sweet Valentine
November 07, 2000 – Gothenberg, Sweden
11. Abigail
12. The Fools We Are As Men
13. I’m Alright Today
November 1, 2000 – Minneapolis, MN
14. Hey There Mrs.Lovely
15. Just Like A Whore
February 13, 2001 – Seattle, WA
16. Mara Lisa
February 17, 2001 – San Francisco, CA
17. Movie Star Girl
18. My California Love
19. God Bless The Week(You Go Away)
Disc 2 (Vol 2)
February 17, 2001 – San Francisco, CA
01. Pretending’s Fun
02. Caterwaul
03. What Sin
04. Memphis (aka Drunk & Fucked Up)
05. Where Is My Heart,Famous Eyes?
06. She Wants To Play Hearts
February 18, 2001 – San Francisco, CA
07. Perfect and True
08. Young Winds
09. The Shoeshine Man
April 24, 2001 – Malmo, Sweden
10. Dear Anne
11. My Love For You Is Real
12. Everything’s Alright
July 14, 2001 Nashville, TN (with The Pinkhearts)
13. Charmed
14. Tell Me How You Want Me
November 14, 2001 – San Francisco, CA (with The LAX)
15. Don’t Ask For The Water
16. Desire
17. I Don’t Wanna Work
Disc 3 (Vol 3)
January 5, 2000 – New York, NY
01.The Poison And The Pain
02. The String And The Wire
April 28, 2001 – Bergen, Norway
03. Silver Bullets
04. Dreams Of A Working Class Clown
05. 100 Krona I Just Won(Improv)
September 28, 2001 – Atlanta, GA (with The Sweetheart Revolution)
06. Friendly Fire
07. Mega Superior Gold
08. Gimme A Sign
09. Tennessee Sucks
October 5, 2001 – Boston, MA (with The Sweetheart Revolution)
10. Candy Doll
11.The Shakin’ Blues
October 31, 2001 – Oslo, Norway (with The Sweetheart Revolution)
12. You Will Always Be The Same
13. Poor Jimmy
14. Fool For You
15. Friends (aka For Beth)
16. Prison Letter
October 22, 2001 – Glasgow, Scotland (with The Sweetheart Revolution)
17. C’mon Little Girl
February 6, 2002 – Amsterdam, Netherlands (with The Sweetheart Revolution)
18. Vampire
Bedhead was initially distributed via the whiskeytownavenues yahoo list and was put together by Mike DuBose in May 2002.
Tracklist song titles updated to accord those as listed on www.answeringbell.com