Another record that has floated in and out of my "maybe" pile. For years I thought O'Keefe was a country type troubadour (mainly because of the album covers) but I suppose he is better described as a singer-songwriter with country-ish overtones.
I discovered him on one of my "who sang the original of that Elvis song" searches in the 1980s. The song in question was the magnificent "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues"… (which went to #9 for O'Keefe in 1972). Elvis did a Elvis 70s country-ish version in 1974 … lots of emotion with a very dramatic reading of lyrics that meant something to him at the time, eg: break-ups, and growing older. But, the lyrics were perhaps to close to the bone because it's what's left unsaid that counts … Elvis left out the verse with the telling lines in relation to Good Time Charlie …
I got my pills to ease the pain
Can't find a thing to ease the rain
Can't find a thing to ease the rain
In any event from there I moved on into O'Keefe territory. And I must say from what I have heard thus far it is more rewarding than not.
By way of musical biography O'Keefe has floated around the fringes of music for a while:
Allmusic: Most closely associated with his 1972 Top Ten entry "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues," singer/songwriter Danny O'Keefe was born and raised in Spokane, WA, beginning his performing career on the Minnesota coffeehouse circuit of the mid-'60s. Through Buffalo Springfield manager Charles Greene, he landed a telephone audition with Atlantic Records honcho Ahmet Ertegun, signing with the label's Cotillion imprint to issue his self-titled 1971 debut LP. The follow-up, 1972's O'Keefe, yielded his lone hit, "Good Time Charlie," later covered by Elvis Presley and many others.
Wikipedia add: O'Keefe's unique lyrical style and haunting melodies earned him a reputation as an important songwriters of his genre. He co-wrote the environmental movement anthem, "Well Well Well", with Bob Dylan.
This is his fifth album and any country overtones are fairly low key compared to his earlier albums. He comes across as a darker Jimmy Webb or Harry Nilsson , r a less country Terry Allen. In fact, some of the tracks are positively MOR with confrontational lyrics if that makes any sense. What does that mean if you are not familiar with any of this? What It means is the songs are firmly in the narrative song cycle with "in your face" naked honesty. "Honesty" was central to the whole "singer-songwriter" movement but like everything there were those in the genre who were just fooling themselves, or just not very bright. O'Keefe is not one of those. His songs are "from the heart" (as corny as that may sound) and over the course of the album he manages to create a mood of a time out of balance – for the narrator if not for the rest of us. And of course there is an echo of Dylan in there also.
Having said that there is also a hint of The Eagles on some tracks and some ham fisted instrumentation. The beauty is in the lyrics – there are many smart couplets.
Best Tracks
- The Runaway – one of the best songs on the album, about a 14 year old girl who runs away from an abusive father and becomes a prostitute. O'Keefe is the observer like Ray Davies but Ray never observed this.
He tears the spirit
Away from the soul
And he'll sell you in pieces
Or he'll sell you whole
- Islands – really sums up the tone of the album. "Islands, we are all alone". An obvious word for interpersonal alienation "islands" may be, but it works.
- You Look Just Like a Girl Again – almost a samba. A beautiful, if melancholy, song about love at an older age.
- In Northern California (Where the Palm Tree Meets the Pine) – a great humorous country folk ramble (with guitar by the legendary David Lindley):
Her body smelt like
roses look
Her nails were sharp
and long
Her heart, she said, was an
open book
And on every page a song
So I helped her with
her braces
Said the pleasure was
all mine
In Northern California
Where the Palm tree
Meets the Pine
- American Roulette – 1 7 1/2 minute epic about … America? MOR but dark and twisted.
And …
This is not, however, a perfect album and not as good as the couple of other O'Keefe albums I have heard ... it doesn't have enough humability for me but it's still good enough to keep.
Sounds
The Runaway
attached
In Northern California (Where the Palm Tree Meets the Pine)
attached
Other Sounds:
Good time Charlie's Got the Blues
O'Keefe
Elvis
Dwight Yoakam
Bio
Website
(originally posted:08/10/2009)
