Search - Bill Morrissey :: Essential Collection (Dig)

Bill Morrissey is essential but this collection is not.

M. Blum | MD | 03/04/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I bought Morrissey's first album from him in person, after his performance in coffee house, about 22 years ago. Since then, I've purchased all his music and even bought his novel, "Edison". I understand that being a supportive fan needn't translate to being an astute critic, but by any reckoning this collection is not representative of his best work.



Morrissey's hard-lived life is evident from his songs themselves, and in the steady erosion of his limited vocal range that time has wrought. I'm guessing that Morrissey was involved in deciding which tracks to choose here and that he's not the best judge of his own material. There's a bias in this collection towards more recent material, and material that is less personal. Neither choice play to his strengths. These songs may feel more relevant to his life now, but they won't generate the kind of interest his body of work deserves. Perhaps he was reluctant to include songs that expressed the initial elation of relationships (and marriages) that didn't work out. "Married Man" is a classic that didn't make the cut. Also missing in action is the lighthearted "Love at First Sight" and the haunting "She's That Kind of Mystery". Missing also are Morrissey's deft characterizations of the backwards slide when relationships go bad: "Last Day of a Furlough", "As Long as the Sun," "Casey, Ill", "Walk Down these Streets," "A Problem with Logic," and "Run you through the Mill" among others. By comparison, these omissions would be like excluding "The Last Time I Saw Richard", "Blue" and "Court and Spark" from a CD assessment of Joni Mitchell's career.



The list of what's included on this CD seems almost self-defeating. It's not uncommon for a pseudo-greatest hits collection to omit one or two well loved tunes, but representing Morrissey's affection for acoustic blues with the run-of-the-mill "Avalon Blues" and "Joe Turner Blues" instead of his signature "Texas Blues", or titles already mentioned is more than strange.



From the short story perspective that has always appealed to Morrissey, I'd recommend "John Haber", "Night Shift" and "Live Free or Die" as exemplary. You'll have to find them among his past CDs, because they are all absent here. He's written some fine songs from the perspective of an outsider, and among them, "Birches" and "Different Currency" are representative and justly included.



On a positive note, "Barstow", "Handsome Molly", "Small Town on the River" and Ice Fishing" are here, in addition to what was just noted. If those songs, in particular, appeal to you than look to Morrissey's back catalogue for the songs I've listed above. He really is a uniquely observant storyteller and there's gold to mine in his earlier songs, when the productions weren't quite so sparse, the stories rang true and he supported them with finger picking that evidenced the influence of Mississippi Fred McDowell, much more than the weak CD of McDowell's covers he later released.



At some point in his career, Morrissey's songs went past his brilliant cut-to-the-bone narratives and began to seem like self-inflicted wounds. The song selection on this "Essential" CD strikes me as a continuation of that unfortunate turn. Here's hoping it's not irreversible.



If you were looking for a better place to start your collection, I'd highly recommend "Bill Morrissy" and "North" followed by "Standing Eight" in that order.

"

Other stuff to check out

Artie Fufkin | Polymer Records | 06/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am a huge fan of catchy, quiet folk music with insightful lyrics. If you enjoy this album then I strongly recommend that you check out the following:

1) Ghosts Of The Great Highway by Sun Kil Moon

2) Kings Avenue Joe Kile

3) Subtitulo by Josh Rouse"

Great lyrics, vocals a matter of personal taste

J. TIMMERMAN | Lawson, NSW Australia | 06/15/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Rounder Records has produced a Heritage Series of thirty albums by artists who define the sound of American roots music recorded on some 3000 albums which make up the Rounder catalogue. Each has been remastered and includes new liner notes.



This collection of twenty songs is selected from the 20-year career of Bill Morrissey, with three new songs written and recorded especially for this album. Morrissey, who hails from New Hampshire US, became well-known on the American folk scene after his performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1985. His musical heroes are blues singers like Mississippi John Hurt and Robert Johnson, and while his laid-back style sometimes reflects theirs, for example in "Joe Turner Blues", most of his songs are more in the country folk vein than blues. His poetic songs tell of everyday characters and their lives, drawn from his own acute observations on life in rural America.



The lyrics of songs like "Just Before We Lost the War" and "Ice Fishing" would stand alone as poetry, full of artistic imagery, others like "These Cold Fingers" and "Different Currency" are honest and believable ballads about real people.



His vocal style is not powerful by any means and won't be to everyone's taste, being conversational as if storytelling around a campfire to a few close friends. With sparse accompaniments, the effect is one of understatement, even blandness, but that belies the power of his lyrics and his fertile imagination. Notable session musicians include the late Johnny Cunningham on fiddle (to whom the album is dedicated), Patty Larkin and Suzanne Vega."