Irv Rosen Poop ’11

Posted By: IrvR January 27, 2012

What I listened to in 2011

Greetings from Florida, not exactly the center of the musical universe but….



cover of Nick Lowe – The Old Magic  Buy New or Used via amazon
Nick Lowe – The Old Magic
Not only did he know the bride when she used to rock and roll, but he knew her when she grew old. Gracefully. Intelligently. Quietly. Nick is simply the best songwriter and an engaging performer.



cover of Dave Alvin – Eleven Eleven  Buy New or Used via amazon
Dave Alvin – Eleven Eleven
Had grown tired of Dave but really liked this one. In fact, in reinvigorated my like of him.



cover of Charles Bradley – No Time for Dreaming  Buy New or Used via amazon
Charles Bradley – No Time for Dreaming
Had actually forgot about this until my brother told me he “didn’t get it”. So, I went back and listened. The gritty singing along with the Menahan Street Band combine to make this a really good urban blues disc.



cover of Jeff Beck – Rock ‘n’ Roll Party  Buy New or Used via amazon
Jeff Beck – Rock ‘n’ Roll Party
I am not a big fan of Jeff Beck’s jazzier, improvisational side but this tribute to Les Paul is great. Jeff is not flashy (a good thing) and the vocals, especially by Imelda May are outstanding. The video is even better – with added songs.



cover of Bob Marley and the Wailers – Live Forever  Buy New or Used via amazon
Bob Marley and the Wailers – Live Forever
Bob’s last waltz, truly. Considering its age, sounds great. Hard to believe it’s more than 30 years.



cover of Beach Boys – Smile Sessions  Buy New or Used via amazon
Beach Boys – Smile Sessions
Of course it is great. But, after so many years, after so much hype, after so many bits and pieces, it was almost anticlimactic. But still great!



cover of Rolling Stones - Some Girls bonus disc  Buy New or Used via amazon
Rolling Stones – Some Girls bonus disc
Good to have a new disc of Rolling Stones honk ‘n’roll. Love Mick’s exaggerated phrasings and the rough sound of it all.



cover of Steve Cropper – Dedicated  Buy New or Used via amazon
Steve Cropper – Dedicated
Must admit that I knew nothing of the 5 Royales, but no matter. The tasty guitar is great as ever with some pretty good vocalists thrown in.



cover of Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive  Buy New or Used via amazon
Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive
Steve’s winning streak continues. Another in the succession of uniformly excellent albums. His usual politics in easy to take tunes. Great end to end.



cover of   Buy New or Used via amazon
John Hiatt – Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns
More of the same, but that’s good



cover of Playing for Change – PFC2 Songs Around the World  Buy New or Used via amazon
Playing for Change – PFC2 Songs Around the World
Volume 2 of this fundraising series to build music schools and musical education all over the impoverished world. Mostly unknown (at least to me) musicians. Brilliant editing of the songs – all parts were recorded on location throughout the world. And excellent companion piece to Volume 1. To really appreciate, you need to watch the videos that accompany the package.



cover of Tom Waits – Bad as Me  Buy New or Used via amazon
Tom Waits – Bad as Me
More metallic tunes from one of the more eccentric writers/performers. More tuneful than most of his sets, should be more accessible to those who can resist the Waitsian charms.



cover of Ry Cooder – Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down  Buy New or Used via amazon
Ry Cooder – Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down
A record of, and for its time. A true State of the Union message. And John Lee Hooker would make a good president.



cover of   Buy New or Used via amazon
The Baseball Project – Volume 2 High and Inside
As good as volume 1. Awaiting Volume 3. Can smell the grass of spring training.



See you next year.

Irv Rosen
Tarpon Springs





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