J.J. Cale is one of the greatest, and most prolific songwriters ever. He is an innovator and originator of the "Tulsa sound" which is a combination of country, rock, folk and jazz. He grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and has always shunned fame in a way even though he is aware of the significance of his great catalog of songs that he's written. Some of the most famous being "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" covered by Eric Clapton, and "Call Me The Breeze" covered by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Other people to cover his songs include Randy Crawford, Maria Muldaur, Herbie Mann, Poco, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Dr. Hook, Redbone, Nazareth, The Jack Saints, Lee Hazelwood, Mark Gayden, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Pat Travers, Beck, Widespread Panic, Carlos Santana and others. The album being put in perspective here is an anthology with 50 of Cale's best songs on it.
Cale has what is called a "laid back" sound. It could be that he's disputed this title that the critics have given him. But, he just has a unique style of singing and on his records has also handled guitar and keyboards along with a band that included several more musician friends of his from Tulsa including Christine Lakeland on guitar, Gary Gilmore and Bill Raffensperger on bass, Rocky Frisco on keyboards, and Jimmy Karstein on drums, just to name a few.
Disc 1
1. Call Me The Breeze
2. Crazy Mama
3. Magnolia
4. After Midnight
5. Lies
6. Changes
7. If You're Ever In Oklahoma
8. Midnight In Memphis (instrumental)
9. Cajun Moon
10. Rock & Roll Records
11. Any Way The Wind Blows
12. Crying
13. Everlovin' Woman
14. I Got The Same Old Blues
15. Woke Up This Morning
16. Cocaine
17. The Woman That Got Away
18. Ride Me High
19. Hey Baby
20. Durango (live)
21. I'll Make Love To You Anytime
22. Don't Cry Sister
23. Thirteen Days
24. Things Ain't Simple
25. Sensitive Kind
Disc 2
1. Carry On
2. Runaround (live)
3. Mama Don't (live) *Doc Watson cover
4. City Girls
5. Devil in Disguise
6. You Keep Me Hangin' On
7. Downtown L.A.
8. A Thing Going On
9. Don't Wait
10. Wish I Had Me a Dollar (live)
11. Money Talks
12. Hard Times
13. People Lie
14. Unemployment
15. Trouble In The City
16. Santa Cruz
17. Shanghaied
18. Change Your Mind
19. New Orleans
20. Humdinger
21. Lonesome Train
22. Jailer
23. Artificial Paradise
24. Long Way Home
25. Closer To You
Prolific might just be an understatement to describe the number of songs Cale has written. Originally, he was going to be known by his given name of John Cale but could not do that because he would be confused with Welsh musician John Davies Cale who was a founder of the band, The Velvet Underground with Lou Reed. So, he has been known as J.J. Cale and that's how fans have identified with him throughout his career. He's written a bunch of songs and they have held up well whether they've been covered by other bands or performed by Cale himself. Definitely look into the vast catalog of J.J. Cale songs. Trust me, there will be at least a few that are automatically recognizable to most music lovers.
No comments:
Post a Comment