New Ron Sexsmith Album

DrJ · Post by **DrJ** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 4:01 am

Out on April 6th in the US, and mid-May in UK/Ireland:

I have to admit, I didn't see it coming...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 94-1482257

DrJ

Bob And Charlotte · Post by **Bob And Charlotte** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 7:26 am

Sexsmith is one the finest songwritters of his generation. Him and the great Elliott Smith

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 8:20 am

Oh, yay of yays! I need that. The timing couldn't be better.

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 9:38 am

Awesome...

I'll be honest in saying I never really got into Cobblestone Runway, so I hope this one grabs me in a bigger way.

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:51 am

Ron's last few albums have suffered from pedestrian production, which is too bad since the songs are great. During his show here last year he asked the audience what they thought of last album. On getting no answer he then said words to the effect "I just play the songs, I dont record them". So, since he's aware, one hopes this new album shows he has learnt from this.

DrJ · Post by **DrJ** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 11:29 am

Why's everyone down on Cobblestone Runway? I loved the production, although I can understand why people skip Dragonfly on Main Street. These Days, Former Glory, Up The Road, Heart's Desire are all perfect.

The worst Ron Album is Whereabouts, it seems to lack purpose.

DrJ

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:12 pm

DrJ wrote: The worst Ron Album is Whereabouts, it seems to lack purpose.

I guess its purpose must be to make me happy. It's my fave of the lot so far (of Cob Run, Whereabouts & RS). A real start-to-finish-er for me.

I really love all three of those I know, but to me WHEREABOUTS has the fewest skippable parts.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 8:49 pm

Can't wait. Hopes very high. And for a London gig. I thought Cob Run was excellent. Very consistent. Production good to my mind. Played it loads for ages. I don't seem to have played much Ron for ages. Time for a return to Ron. I like Dragonfly! I got Other Songs at C'mas, and have hardlky played it. My mistake, or is it a bit average? Must still get Blue Boy.

DrJ · Post by **DrJ** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 3:10 am

Being unable to agree on his best album is a sign of quality. Also see: EC, The Beatles etc.

DrJ

katoomba · Post by **katoomba** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 3:56 am

I very much like Cobblestone runway. More info on Elliott Smith please he is new to me.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 5:08 am

Cue for Pip?

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 7:39 pm

Ron's playing Dublin in Sept
http://www.ticketmaster.ie/cgi/asp_even ... y=CONCERTS

scielle · Post by **scielle** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 10:14 pm

Ron's opening Diana's show in Montreal tomorrow.
EC will be there to do some tunes as well. You can listen to a live stream at 8pm ET on CBC Radio Two

scielle

DrJ · Post by **DrJ** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 6:48 am

martinfoyle wrote:Ron's playing Dublin in Sept
http://www.ticketmaster.ie/cgi/asp_even ... y=CONCERTS

Yeah I was happy when I heard this, then I realised I wont be living in Dublin in Septemebr. This is happening a lot: re gigs by The Hives and The White Stripes/New York Dolls.

But it's swings and roundabouts. London has gis by They Might Be Giants and Todd Rundgren.

...and I've just checked, Ron plays the Queen Elizabeth hall on Oct 12.

It's all good.

DrJ

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Wed Jun 30, 2004 5:53 pm

Otis, I think you should listen to Other Songs some more, it's a grower. The guy who introduced me to Ron's stuff thinks it's his best, and it's certainly among them.

Strawberry Blonde and April After All may be my favourite songs of his, and then there's Nothing Good, Pretty Little Cemetery, While You're Waiting, It Never Fails...and one that passed me by for a long time but is now probably the song I'm most likely to hum when I'm not thinking, Clown In Broad Daylight. I love how every verse of that is one long sentence (with a great melody and lyric).

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Jun 30, 2004 7:06 pm

I'm sure I will grow to love Other Songs more in due course. Of late my Rontime has all been for Retriever, but will play OS more now, too. I adore Strawberry Blonde, what a tune.

Thanks for news of the London gig. The site still has good stalls seats for £17.50. Same week as Lloyd Cole + the Commotions reunion! It will be too much for me to handle, there'll be a big hole where the top of my skull used to be.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 1:55 pm

Can duly report back that I'm now more into all of Other Songs. Very good. And at last I've ordered Blue Boy + Rarities (for a good price off Amazon.com Marketplace, a third of what you'd pay for it in the UK as an import), so will soon have the full World of Ron experience.

I like to check out ronsexsmith.com a bit, and one of the thrilling things about it is that Ron is quite a regular poster (no need for impersonators there!). It's worth looking at the 45 or so posts of his for some of the explanations he's proffered, especially about how he demoed a batch of stuff in between Ron Sexsmith and Other Songs (some of which is on Rarities), and how it wasn't happening for him in the US, but there was greater interest in the UK due to EC.

One section invites you to request songs at gigs, so, with the above event in mind, I posted this:

"I too will be at the London gig. Can't wait. (And the Lloyd Cole and the Commotions reunion the same week, I'll need weeks to recover from the excitement!)

I don't know if you played Strawberry Blonde at the last London gig ('Marquee', great gig), because I didn't know it then, but now I can't stop playing it. So that would be perfect.

And as much of Cobblestone Runway and Retriever as the night allows, cos they're both so good. If I had to choose one off Retriever, it would have to be Dandelion Wine. Close your eyes and float off to heaven.

So both the songs I'd love to hear refer to dandelions!"

And Ron has replied the very next day thus:

"Hi Otis [needless to say, I retain the same nom du keyboard]
Yea, I play "Strawberry Blonde most nights so I'll be sure to do it in London
as well as "Dandelion Wine" which I'm quite proud of.
See ya soon
Ron"

Ron posted to me!!!

OK, he's a cult figure, and most people I mention his name to, even fairly dedicated music lovers, have usually never heard of him, but I'm still close to fainting. It would be fun if EC did, so too, wouldn't it?

Dr J, have you got tickets for the event? If so, listen out for if he sends me a dedication!

DrJ · Post by **DrJ** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 6:09 pm

I haven't bought tickets yet, but it's on my mind. I think I'm delaying buying any tickets for any London gigs until I actually move there and start work (in two weeks time, hahaha, oh dear). Plus I don't know what my rota is beyond the end of september. Other London gigs in the offing: Finn Brothers, Ray Davies, The Hives...

I wanted to post the nice pic of me and Ron but I can't find it right now (it's on the defunct laptop). A friend of mine lives in Berlin and he's received personal emails from Ron and chatted with him after gigs. He does generate a very loyal fanbase. I think I've seen him six times now, I've only seen EC more...

The last time I saw him saw Dublin's Ambassador a year ago, he sang a song for his daughter which was just beautiful. I subsequently discovered was a kids song called "The Very First Time" which he's now recorded for a kids compilation which will be out at christmas. If only I'd recorded it, oh wait, I did! (Yes, click, it's an mp3)

DrJ

Smallfaces1 · Post by **Smallfaces1** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 6:31 pm

ah i love cobblestone but my fav is whereabouts, its has some amazing songs on it. i can listen to that for hours and not get bored. I love how lazy his voice is, its like he's not even trying.Genious!

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 7:11 pm

I'm trying to convince an old friend to vist me when Ron plays here in Malmö. I know his taste in music, so I'm sure he'll appreciate Ron, and to get him started I made a comp CD from the first five albums (not counting Grand Opera Lane, which I've been looking for for years), so that he then can buy the brilliant Retriever and be pretty set for the show. Including what I think he'll like meant that some of my absolute favourites had to go (Several Miles, In Place Of You, While You're Waiting, Right About Now, Fallen, Dragonfly...) and that some that I'm not too fond of (Never Been Done) went on, and that most of Cobblestone Runway was left off because of its tinny sound, but still, blah blah blah, here's the tracklist:

1. Secret Heart
2. Strawberry Blonde
3. Lebanon, Tennessee
4. Gold In Them Hills
5. Nothing Good
6. Pretty Little Cemetery
7. Just My Heart Talkin'
8. Never Been Done
9. God Loves Everyone
(teabreak)
10. Feel For You
11. In A Flash
12. The Idiot Boy
13. Speaking With The Angel
14. There's A Rhythm
15. Clown In Broad Daylight
16. From A Few Streets Over
17. Galbraith Street
(teabreak 2)
18. This Song
19. Foolproof
20. Still Time
21. One Grey Morning
22. Seem To Recall
23. April After All

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Wed Aug 04, 2004 8:15 am

Lebanon, Tennessee? I know where that is. I can't imagine anybody writing a song about it--so what's it about?

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Wed Aug 04, 2004 8:37 am

I know Lebanon as well, Mood. Can't imagine it either. A blip on the map.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Aug 04, 2004 12:21 pm

Fabulous song:

I'm going down to Lebanon, Tennessee
From where I stand, it's as good a place as any
I don't know anybody there and
Nobody knows me

There'll be a job in Lebanon, Tennessee
I'll work on a farm, I'll work in some factory
And I'll buy myself a home down there
You can get one pretty cheap

Get off the bus on the border of town
Head in from the East
Walk into a bar, take a seat in the corner
Be a man of mystery

Folks don't treat you mean in Lebanon, Tennessee
But like a human being, they'll take you in off the street
They'll bring you in their home down there
and give you something to eat
I'm going down to Lebanon, Tennessee

The incongruous mix of Lebanon and Tennessee makes it work well. It's just the idea of going somewhere remote and where you can be an alien, and so L, T sounds striking and unusual and a little exotic and just works really well. What sort of place is it?

You owe it to yourselves to get this fabulous LP and check it out!

KH: couldn't you get Grand Opera Lane with Cob Run? That's how it came out (limited edition, probably) in the UK. I've played it at least once. I've meant to go back and check it out more, but it really isn't at all Ronesque and seems to contain none of his magic. Can send you a copy if you're desperate, but do check websites for CR with it included.

I was thinking of the Tower of Ron and what my top 10 would be. Pretty hard! Definitely some overlaps with your list, will revisit this later on!

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:30 pm

http://travel.nostalgiaville.com/Tennes ... nessee.htm somebody from key west was in charge of painting the town square. and there's a state park called Cedars of Lebanon.

it's not far from nashville. and I mistakenly thought it was the place where this happened--http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2003/01/15 ... omment.php
cookeville (a/k/a cookevegas) is about 40 miles east of lebanon.

I heard several RS songs today at work, but not this one. I will have to check it out.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:51 pm

Off 'Ron Sexsmith', the first LP proper. A great place to start.

How come there's no mention of the song in this site? but there is this to compensate:

Victorian Christmas
November
Lebanon

Eh? To my knowledge the Victorians did it in December too!

Perhaps Ron should have sung 'I'll work in some antiques store' for 'factory'.

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