Thursday, January 25, 2018

Mickey Newbury - 'Frisco Mabel Joy (1971)


Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Mickey Newbury - A Long Road Home (2002)

Probably my all-time favorite country record. Acoustic guitars, sweeping string sections, the occasional gauzy synth, and haunted, reverb-drenched vocals. It's masterful tearjerker after masterful tearjerker, reaching an apex with "Frisco Depot", whose long-way-from-home desolation could draw tears from a stone.

Track listing:
1. An American Trilogy
2. How Many Times (Must the Piper Be Paid for His Song?)
3. Interlude
4. The Future's Not What It Used to Be
5. Mobile Blue
6. Frisco Depot
7. You're Not My Same Sweet Baby
8. Interlude
9. Remember the Good
10. Swiss Cottage Place
11. How I Love Them Old Songs

Frisco's a full day from home when you can afford to fly
But it might as well be the moon when you're as broke as I


You would probably also like:
Lee Clayton -
Lee Clayton (1973)
Iris DeMent -
Infamous Angel (1992)

6 comments:

  1. Bloody hell, this is amazing. Sent me on a quest searching for info about him, yet another genius I somehow knew nothing about--except for the tons of great songs he wrote that other artists scored with. Appreciate this.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The vibe on this is great and rivals Looks Like Rain, which has what is easily Newbury's best song, "I Don't Think Much About Her Now" (aka "Poison Red Berries" on In A New Age). Fucking heartbreaking and beautiful.
    Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This made me follow your blog a few years back and this record since become my favorite country record ever. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey man, love this blog and heard so much amazing music through here - is there any way you could please reupload the link for this? Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. "The future was not
    Not what it used to be"

    ReplyDelete