MICKEY NEWBURY – I Came to Hear the Music – (Elektra) – 1974

Newbury was friends with Townes Van Zandt and occupied the same territory as him but no cult has developed around Newbury since his death as it has with Townes.

Townes is great but,

Newbury is better.

They both write direct emotionally challenging songs and know how to put them over. But like many things musical, music is only part of a persons success. Townes had his image down pat and the attitude to match the image. Newbury didn’t. It is easier, in terms of image, to see why a cult developed around Townes rather than Mickey.

After all, you have to appeal to the voguey poseurs.

Also, Townes’ music was more consistent – not in quality, but stylistically. Mickey could do folk, country or singer songwriter. He could also add strings, MOR instrumentation, choruses and sound affects. Some of this dates his music whereas Townes music pretty much remains evocatively dusty.

But Mickey is more ambitious and perhaps more adventurous. And these are the joys of Mickey ….he will always surprise you.

His songs are gentle and flow over you. His stories are akin to a wise, gentle, melancholic drunk telling you about life and love in a bar late at night.

This album could be subtitled "The Love Album" or perhaps "The Love has finished album". Newbury writes and sings of the joys of love and the inevitability of love gone. Most of the songs have a melancholy which occasionally tips over into despair. What is surprising is that Mickey can tackle the same "love" theme and write lyrics which do not become over familiar and are quite complex.

With the "love" themes come the inevitable, occasional, strings, angelic choruses and dramatic instrumentations. They may be a little dated but they are evocative of time and place …the southwest circa 1974.

Not surprisingly Mickey draws from the old pre-rock "great American songbook" style of song writing. There is no hint of Lennon-McCartney to be heard at all. Occasional Dylan is heard but mainly because Dylan also draws from the same source.

If Stephen Sondheim wrote country weepies they would perhaps sound like this.

That’s not to say that the music is country. Country purists would find little here for them. The album is better described as singer songwriter with country overtones or perhaps …early alt country.

Check out my other comments for biographical detail on Mickey.

Arranged and produced by the great Chip Young.

The album is on Elektra – just about everything on Elektra is worth listening to.

Tracks (best in italics)

I Came to Hear the Music – beautiful, though the MOR treatment may turn some off
Breeze Lullaby – the last song does a nice segue into this one though this track heightens the emotional pitch
You Only Live Once (In a While) – a beautiful song. Very deliberately paced and akin to the romantic country melodramas Elvis was singing in the early 70s.
Yesterday’s Gone -an almost country gothic melodrama about the passing of love.
If You See Her – another great song. A reaffirmation of ones love for another. Waylon Jennings covered this.

If you see her and she mentions my name
Tell her for me that she was not to blame
There’s no reason now for her to feel ashamed
If you see her and she mentions my name

Everything I told her then was true
Everything was true at the time
But time has a way of changing everything
Truth has a way of changing all the time

If you see her and she mentions my name
Tell her the times have but I have not changed
All my friends know that I still feel the same

Dizzy Lizzy – a rocking song… not convincing though it breaks up the album with a big beat. I think it may grow on me though.
If I Could Be – an interesting song that says, I love you and I want you and I don’t want to be strong because if I am then I wouldn’t need you.
Organized Noise – Loves end ….

I hate to say it Lord
But her flowers are wilting
And her words have become
Just an organised noise

Love, Look at Us Now – more loves gone.
Baby’s Not Home – this encroaches on to country Ray Charles territory.
1 X 1 Ain’t 2 – an up-tempo country hoedown in the Jerry Reed mould. Not too bad at all.

And …

Not a perfect album. Not even a great one. This is not even one of the better Mickey Newbury albums, but some of the songs are magnificent.

If you love Lambchop then listen to this. I’m keeping it.

Chart Action

nothing, no where

Sounds
I Came to Hear the Music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlHzPE1xMtw
cover by Bonnie Prince Billy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnAuwvgAMRg