Over the past year or so, I've discovered John's music through the likes of Youtube, google searches, and his appearance on shows such as the Colbert Report. I own about three albums of his since my discovery.

Now, I LOVE the softer, more subtle sign of John. Love Love Love? Brilliant song. Cotton? Top stuff.

But above all else, I love John's crazier side. His slightly insane, desperate side. The how and why I grew to appreciate this man came from performances of songs such as See America Right (which I've been covering as of late, learned it from Ships and Dips), Going to Georgia, and Psalms 40:2. I LOVE the energy brimming from those songs! The way his strumming strikes the strings, the way his eyes bulge with their performances, the way his voices cracks and rises into something high, high enough to crash against my mind in a brimming explosion of emotion.

Since I am somewhat new to him, and his discography, could anyone recommend similar songs of his? I plan of course to buy all his albums if I can (and I'm not going to bootleg them, not that kinda fan) so eventually I'd probably run into whatever I desired in my own course of time. But in the meantime, doesn't mean I couldn't youtube a few crashing songs of his, eh?

Thanks very much everyone, it's much appreciated!

I bet you'll love Cubs in Five. It was on "Nine Black Poppies."

Wait for it.

ETA: I encourage you to do some more of the searching on your own. It can be far more exciting than people listing things off for you, plus it's always nice to have them in the context of their albums as well. You sound like you appreciate JD enough to be willing to buy more of his albums (by the way--which three do you own? That would be extremely helpful to know as far as suggestions go). If you don't already have them, I strongly suggest picking up Sweden and Full Force Galesburg (I'm going to guess that possibly you have Zopilote Machine, although perhaps not, you may have just heard/seen GtG live since I don't really consider it a wilder track on the album). And cliche perhaps, but as far as more recent stuff goes, Tallahassee has a good number of barn-burners, if you don't already own it (though again, you reference See America Right, so it's likely that you own it).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2010 01:46PM by therainechild.

my current favorite: [www.youtube.com]

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The first thing that distinguishes a writer is that he is most alive when alone. - Martin Amis

Woahs, just finished listening to his cover of Merle Haggard's Just Sit Here and Drink from tmg.net whilst reading your posts (perfect timing perhaps?), the ending was exactly what I was speaking of! You're right mate, perhaps I should delve and search for myself, self discovery is very rewarding. That's how I came across NMH, for example.

My mother used to listen to a lot of Merle Haggard. Love the guy.

Anyways, I own Sunset Tree, Heretic Pride, and All Hail West Texas. (Lovecraft in Brooklyn has a heavy vibe, but the vocals are very calm imho, but it's in the right direction.) Diluadid is also another great example of the vibe I speak of.

Just listened to those two songs, they were perfect! That desperation, that anger, that seemingly endless glare in his eyes... THAT is the JD I want to meet and see live!

Perfect guys. In the meantime, payday is coming up, so I'll definitely be buying a new MG album, as I said I eventually hope to own all of his albums, though of course I am open to suggestions.

John Darnielle and I have the same initials - JD.

When I was seventeen ( a very important age for me, and much of John's work reflects on this age), I had a very close friend, a female, who came into my room and wanted to doodle on my guitar. I said go for it. She then made the prompt discovery that hey, JD, also stands for Jack Daniels. So she wrote on my guitar JD - nothing tastes better. Gotta love her double sided view on things.

Still have tha told piece of shit guitar, still says that...surprised I haven't erased it yet.

See? this is why I listen to the Mountain Goats. Because of damn memories like that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2010 12:22AM by Redlandsman87.

Seeing what you DO have right now, I'd definitely go with Zopilote or Sweden next. I recommend alternating new vs. old releases as you go along picking up albums. I think it forces you to assess each album individually instead of grouping them together by style/period. I wish I could have done that with the newer albums; I think I would appreciate them more if I hadn't gone HP to TLOTWTC. I think it's too easy to make generalizations about JDs "eras" of sorts when you listen to them in continuous strings rather than appreciating the songs/albums individually.

(I hope that made sense.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2010 02:33PM by therainechild.

What's your e-mail address?

Directed at redlands.

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ಠ_ಠ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2010 02:52PM by johnnyonthespot.

May I recommend The Coroner's Gambit? Not just because it's my favorite Mountain Goats album but it also has four songs that fit into what you're looking for and they're all fantastic. I also second therainechild's suggestion of not being stuck in one era for long when exploring the catalogue. It took me a while to appreciate the middle period of the Mountain Goats because of that and now it's my favorite period.

The "RedLands", if anyone is curious, was named after Keith Richards old house, which I think burned down twice? Always made me laugh, the thought of Keef running out of a burning building with powder still on his nose.

I think I'll go with Sweden. The album holds more appeal to me, has the humorous side going for it, the song titles spark more into my imagination. And it has just as long of a tracklist as Zopilote.

As far as eras go, I'd more than likely have to say I'll have to listen myself to gain an understanding of it all. I know many artists go through transitional periods, have change in subject matter and whatnot. But that was always a major selling point for me about tMG. That despite inferior recording techniques, years of recording albums and being under the radar, divorces, band members leaving, he never gave up. No matter what "era" I listen to, I'll know he was always giving it his all, and even if I don't enjoy all of his songs, I'll know his heart and his soul went into every strum, every note, every word. So I really don't mind when or wherever I start, just so long as I have a fresh (to my ears, anyway) MG album to listen to. It may have taken him twenty years to gain the recognition he deserves, such as TV appearances, but dammit that man is DETERMINED!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2010 12:21AM by Redlandsman87.

I 100% support getting more of the albums, and I'd also recommend you delve more into the live recordings, lots of which are available at archive.org. You can stream online to hear more of the discography, but it's always a good idea to download shows in their entirety. Judging from your stories/memories in your posts, I think you'll really enjoy JD's live banter between the songs and the context it offers to the songs.

The songs that immediately come to mind after your initial request:

West Country Dream- IMO this is one of the most tense/intense songs live. It's on Full Force Galesburg, which is a great album, but one of my favorite live versions of it is in this show: [www.archive.org]

Jaipur- on Coroner's Gambit. Most live versions of this song are awesome, and I favor the solo or duo performances to the full band ones, but that's just personal taste. Here's a good one: [www.archive.org]

Family Happiness- also on Coroner's. Only live version I could find on archive is this one- [www.archive.org]. The album version is pretty incredible.

On the album Nothing For Juice (which people tend to see as a difficult album to get into, or one of the quieter ones, but I see its songs as having tons of desperation and intensity bubbling just under the surface) the songs Going to Reykjavik and Heights.

Hope this helps. Enjoy Sweden. Good luck on your search!

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If you're wondering who to blame - I want to praise his name with songs and feasting.

Family Happiness is fucking brilliant. That's the next song I shall learn, it's perfect for my intentions haha. Love it! LOVE IT. Jaipur also had me bobbing. Thanks buddy!

And don't think I'm dismissing many other type of John's songs...perhaps it's just the mood I'm in today? I feel low on energy, and need something to boost me up. Today, I can relate to angry, pissed John.

Tomorrow, perhaps, I'll be more in a poppy, "Dance Music" John mood. And that's why I want to listen to as much of him as possible, so whenever certain moods strike me, I'll know which album to listen to to perfectly harmonize with said moods.

Nick Drake (anyone heard of this depressing man? he is the BEST fingerpicker I've ever heard! I recommend "Riverman". Youtube it, NOW.) was helping me stay in a perpetual, catonic state of depression. He is brilliant at that, experience a break up or lose a job, grab a drink and just let this sad man take you into very deep, lonely places of the mind. But after delving into JD again, and being so pumped and energized by his music once again, I said piss on that! I'm tired of being down and out, I want to go out, rock and bob, crack and yell as I sing, and break picks whilst i strum. I'm a singer/songwriter myself, and JD is (after Noel Gallagher, Lee Mavers and Jeff Mangum) probably my largest influence.

So I take the energy, the feeling (don't take it as plagarism, I'm just borrowing the mood, not the chords, melody or words) and try and put such feelings into my own musical creation.

If you want really high energy, have a Mtn Dew Energy 16 oz can and listen to tMG

Non-album tracks, but "Shower" and "Carmen Cicero" will rock your face.

Tampa, also.

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We belong dead.
[www.last.fm]
[sordidalley.blogspot.com]

rain on entebbe - scroll over to song #5
www.grandcrew.com

oh hey, i forgot about that video!

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i just sit here in my cave and absorb your facts and figures.

Quote
burning down keith richard's house
...despite inferior recording techniques, years of recording albums and being under the radar, divorces, band members leaving, he never gave up

are you talking about john darnielle here? did i miss something?

also: JOHN IS "AFTER" FARKING NOEL GALLAGHER??

*sheds a tear*

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i just sit here in my cave and absorb your facts and figures.

Quote
Redlandsman87
Nick Drake (anyone heard of this depressing man? he is the BEST fingerpicker I've ever heard! I recommend "Riverman". Youtube it, NOW.) was helping me stay in a perpetual, catonic state of depression. He is brilliant at that, experience a break up or lose a job, grab a drink and just let this sad man take you into very deep, lonely places of the mind.

Nick Drake is indeed amazing, if you're into that style of guitar I'd say give Jack Rose a listen. He passed away last year, sadly, but his guitar stylings (particularly acoustic which he focused on for most of his career) were out of this world and ventured through all different genres.


ETA: I agree with the Zopilote Machine idea, "Alpha Incipens" would be a natural for what you're describing.

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Some of us turn off the lights and we live in the moonlight shooting by
Some of us scare ourselves to death in the dark to be where the angels fly...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/2010 02:19PM by SaveMeASeat.

Quote
blackliner

Quote
burning down keith richard's house
...despite inferior recording techniques, years of recording albums and being under the radar, divorces, band members leaving, he never gave up

are you talking about john darnielle here? did i miss something?

also: JOHN IS "AFTER" FARKING NOEL GALLAGHER??

*sheds a tear*

I could've sworn John was divorced, perhaps I took some of his songs as autobiographical when they were fictional. And Rachel left the band, being replaced by Hughes. Remember, I am new, so I don't know him and his life to minute detail.

And yes, Noel Gallagher is my number one influence. He is the reason I picked up the guitar, and no other artist, I don't care how many I listen to, will ever replace him as my favorite musician. Noel Gallagher has gotten me through more relentless, fucked up nights than I can count. More than John, sorry to say.

The Hindu Times

Fade In-Out

Slide Away

Three prime examples. If you only listen to one of the songs, please make it Slide Away, as that probably sums the man up as best as possible. TELL me that man doesn't have soul and passion! A burning, relentless spirit soars through this man. Especially on the song, "Fade In Out" He gets so fucking into it!

I'll give Jack Rose a listen, thanks for the recommendation.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2010 01:18AM by Redlandsman87.

Even if John was ever divorced I don't think it should be gossip material for the forums.

but veering back on topic, I second shower. If you can get the bootleg of the show from The Press in 2000 it's the most brutal version of it.

Love Cuts the Strings from philyra (easier place to get it would be the Protien Source comp) is really aggressively strummed.
Nine Black Poppies too.

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1840 - Hounds in Sonora, Mexico, invent music, write bogus "History of Music" to preserve anonymity.

Laughin Out Loud



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2010 02:12PM by Mr Glass.

Quote
Mr Glass
Even if John was ever divorced I don't think it should be gossip material for the forums.

yuh. s'what i was thinking as well. and seconding nine black poppies.

starlingtattoo, you are still a good egg

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i just sit here in my cave and absorb your facts and figures.

specifically this nine black poppies [www.youtube.com]

thanks mattliner

Quote
Redlandsman87
(you won't find me so I don't mind listing my full name.)

don't list your name and email in the same thread if you don't want to be found. found you all over the internet in 5 minutes. Myspace, twitter, e6 board, etc. be more careful as anyone can find you if you have more then one piece of information available.

EDIT: Welcome to the forums!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2010 05:51PM by woejilli.