ALBUMS

• JOHN PRINE: BRUISED ORANGE: 1978: 4 1/2 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: IPOD: I remember well the first time I heard John Prine- I went over to visit my artist-songwriter friend Dan. He was all excited, he had borrowed this album from someone and wanted me to hear it. I was hooked ten seconds into the first song on the album ” Fish and Whistle.” and have been a fan for life. The album always seems kind of top heavy- side one is packed with the best songs overall but it is a strong album from beginning to end. This was Prine’s fifth album- I had to go buy the others back then- and found there was even a greater Prine album- his self titled debut. Favorites on Bruised Orange- Fish and Whistle, There She Goes,  That’s The Way That The World Goes Round, Bruised Orange, Sabu Visits The Twin Cities Alone and Aw Heck. Prine has his first solo album of new materials coming out in years- soon. I am not a big fan of his duet albums.

• GERRY RAFFERTY: NIGHT OWL: 1979: 3 1/2 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: This was the follow up to 1978’s unexpected smash hit album “City To City”-which went to #1 on the album charts in the US-  and one of my favorite songs from ’78 “Baker Street” which made it to #2. This album was successful and it was a good album -but doesn’t hold up to “City To City” as far as greatness or success- it only make it to #29 on the albums chart and didn’t have the big hit single on it- Days Gone Down reached #19, and “Get It Right Next Time” #21. After this Rafferty would return to obscurity. Rafferty himself was never comfortable with fame. His story is an interesting and tragic one.

• SQUEEZE: EAST SIDE STORY: 1981: 5 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: VINYL: I read a review of this album and saw that Elvis Costello produced it so I figured anything EC was involved in had to be good- and it turned out even better than expected.  Squeeze had two gifted songwriters and singers in Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook but oddly enough it was Paul Carrick {who sang Ace’s hit “How Long”} who sang the most known song on this album- “Tempted.” This is an album of great songwriting and performances- Squeeze at their peak. I would buy other Squeeze albums and all of them had good songs on them- but none would approach the greatness of this particular album.