Another Song, Another Mile

A good Sunday evening to everyone out there.  It was quite the eventful weekend here in Ideological Cuddle land, as it was packed wall-to-wall with concerts, sporting events, dinners, even reunions with old friends (glad to have you back, Big Sexy).  Tonight's post is the next in the Cuddle's series of Top 5s and involves some great music and one of our favorite movies.

The Ideological Cuddle Top Five:
     Songs That Should Have Been In Almost Famous
                   (But Would Have Been Anachronistic If They Were)

1. The Black Crowes - "Wiser Time" (Live on VH1 Unplugged, 2008) - This one is easy.  The best "travelling band, being on the road" song of the past 20 years, the Crowes write what they know.  It's easy to see a little bit of the Crowes in the fictitious Stillwater from the movie (especially since Jason Lee seems to channel his inner Chris Robinson throughout the film - in look and demeanor).  I could easily see this tune replacing "Tiny Dancer" in the scene on the bus after Russell takes a bit too much acid at a party in Kansas.  Might not have the sing along power of Elton John's smash hit, but would hammer home the stresses of being in a band, travelling across the country with your best friends who so easily can become enemies.  The acoustic version above highlights the guitar breakdown in the center of the song - the perfect section for the scene mentioned.

2. My Morning Jacket - "Golden" - Another travelling song, this one's not so specific to the band, but still highlights the loneliness of the road.  Jim James' haunting voice propels the song on beautiful acoustic guitar/slide guitar lines.  I can picture Russell, again on the bus, strumming this song to himself as the rest of the band listens in.

3. Wilco - "Monday" - I can picture Jeff Tweedy and the rag-tag group of musicians who have made up Wilco over the years starring in an Almost Famous-type film.  In effect, they've already documented their quasi-demise and subsequent rise in their excellent documentary, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.  Any music fan, especially those who love Wilco owe it to themselves to check it out.  This song, off of Being There, is a rollicking throwback of a song, documenting life on the run.

4. Blitzen Trapper - "Stolen Shoes and A Rifle" - Total 1970s country-rock throwback.  There's no other way to describe this standout track from Blitzen Trapper's breakthrough Furr record.  Play it for the uninitiated and they'll swear it was written and released sometime in the early 70s.  Maybe not the perfect song for Stillwater to play in the movie, but something that its lead singer, Jeff Bebe would be found listening to.  Lazy vibe, vintage sounds.

5. Drive-By Truckers - "Outfit" (Live and acoustic at Cooley's House, 12/29/03) - OK, this one is almost too perfect.  A definite masterpiece in the Trucker's canon, Jason Isbell's song of fatherly warning is cautionary, yet encouraging.  A father sings to his rock front-man son, telling him not to fuck up the gifts that he's been given.  "Do you want to grow up to paint houses like me?  A trailer in your yard 'till you're 23?  Do you want to feel old after 42 years?  Keep droppin' the hammer and grindin' the gears."  Daddy sets it out nice and plain, while encouraging his son - "Don't sing with a fake British accent, a Southern man tells better jokes" and "Have fun and steer clear of the needle".  One could imagine Russell or Jeff's father singing this to them on the phone after calling home during a bender.

If any of you out there haven't seen Almost Famous, do yourself a favor and go out and grab a copy now.  It's likely the greatest love note to rock and roll that the silver screen has/will ever seen.  Grab a copy, look, and listen.