Lester Young & The Oscar Peterson Trio

    I just finished re installing my record player into my room. I had it there for a while but as my record catalogue grew, I couldn’t house everything, so I moved operations to the basement. As my home life extends and the lingering sets, I felt I needed it back up for my sanity. To re christen my baby, I pulled out a double LP compilation of the great tenor sax innovator, Lester Young. The first record is a session with Teddy Wilson, and the second LP is with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Two LP’s of Prez with the great Pianists, but I decided to spin the Peterson disc.

    First and foremost, what’s left to be said about Lester Young? he developed his own laidback, lyrical approach to playing that is a complete contrast to his contemporary, Coleman Hawkins. With that, he is playing with perhaps the strongest backing band in Jazz music at the time. Oscar Peterson is perhaps the most celebrated pianist of his day, and his explosive soloing and masterful comping makes any jazz musician want to have him for his session. Ray Brown is without a doubt the most fervent bassist of the 1950’s, and Barney Kessell holds down the fort on Guitar. J.C. Heard is the drummer on these recordings, and even though he's a great drummer, his addition isn't needed for the Peterson Trio, they always do fine on their own. 

    The up tunes on this album are very good, Lester shines on "Ad Lib Blues", but what always gets me is his remarkable ballad playing. His version of “I Can’t Get Started”, is without a doubt one of my favorite ballad performances in all of jazz music. Young’s so sincere and tender with his playing, nothing is over played, nothing is played just to be played, every note is right where it belongs and has a reason for existing. Kessell’s steady arpeggiated chordal playing and Brown’s off beat quarter and eighth note passages give the tune proper forward momentum. This is the type of record I would give a rhythm section member to teach them how to play a ballad at a masterful level.

    This was recorded in 1952, at a time before Young’s alcoholism would destroy him and tarnish his playing for good. His playing isn’t as fiery as with Count Basie, but it’s not gone yet, like recordings later in the decade would show. The Oscar Peterson Trio could adapt to any musician or singer and really make the soloist sound ten times better. If you're looking for a Jazz album that is very approachable and yet still gives off high sophistication, then this is the disk for. Even though I hadn't mentioned it, the Teddy Wilson session is also worth your time.

Listen for the ballads, stay for the bop!

Blossom: Unpacking Her Story

"She has a tiny voice, Without a microphone it wouldn't reach the second floor of a doll's house." - Whitney Balliett 

    I grew up on a lot of good television on the suggestion of my mother; Tom & Jerry, Looney Tunes, and Schoolhouse Rock. I tell ya, I wouldn’t have been able to count my fives tables without that catchy song. Regardless, many of the Schoolhouse Rock songs were performed by jazz artists from the 50’s and 60’s, such as Bob Dorough, Jack Sheldon, and Grady Tate. a while back I was listening to a Verve Records compilation of Gershwin songs, and one song struck me funny. It was a recording of “Someone To Watch Over Me”, and it was performed by someone named Blossom Dearie. While listening, I thought that I must have heard this recording somewhere before. That voice was so distinctive, almost as though I knew the voice all my life, but that name didn’t ring a bell. After a quick search on the internet and a quick skim though the book Verve: The Sound Of America, I realized that Blossom Dearie was the singer on the Schoolhouse Rock song, “Unpack Your Adjectives”.  I hadn’t  come across any recording of a singer who performed on Schoolhouse Rock before, except for Grady Tate, who was the drummer for the Jimmy Smith Trio.  It also struck me funny that Dearie’s first album for Verve was released in 1957, during the golden decade of this great Jazz label, and being very familiar this great label, I had never heard of her prior. To make a long story short, I was completely blown away by her soft, light vocals as well as her earnest delivery. So, I took it upon myself to find out who is Blossom Dearie, and why is she such a forgotten figure of Jazz.

    I haven’t seen many interviews with Blossom Dearie, but the few I have seen show that she was reluctant to disclose anything about her life. Once asked by NPR’s Karen Mitchell, she responded with "I'd rather not go into this biography, It's just — it's — I find it boring." I find that an interesting statement because her life was anything but boring. She was born Margrethe Blossom Dearie in East Durham, New York, on April 28th, 1924. Like many musicians of her era, she started as a classical pianist, but soon found the world of Jazz and decided to pursue that path instead. After she graduated from school, she went to New York to continue pursuing music, meeting the likes of Dave Lambert (as in the Lambert that’s with Hendricks & Ross), who introduced her to Gil Evans. Dearie would be present in the same get togethers that would inspire a young Miles Davis to make his “Birth of the Cool” recordings (Miles Davis of Blossom Dearie;"the only white woman who ever had soul.”)  After singing around with Big Band vocal groups, she moved to Paris to start a solo career.  While there, she would record with, and share an apartment with, Annie Ross (the Ross of the aforementioned singing group), fall in love and subsequently marry for a short time a French Saxophonist, and also catch the eye of a well to do jazz impresario and producer, Norman Granz. Blossom Dearie would record six albums for Granz’s label, Verve; Her best known recordings. 

    Looking at her first of her albums, simply titled Blossom Dearie, the thing to hear is how distinguishing her vocals are. Without trying to sound repetitive, her voice is light, soft, childlike and contained, all of which is not to speak ill of. She has a way to lightly dabble upon the lyrics of a song, without any sort of extra emphasis, to deliver a light, lofty, and yet, articulate rendition of the words. Comparing her to other vocalists of her day, I can't think of a jazz vocalist with a lighter touch, others had there moments, but never for an entire album. The other thing to notice is her eclectic choice of material. Although there are better known songs, like "Lover Man" and "It Might As Well Be Spring", Dearie chose to dig deeper into the Rogers and Hart catalogue as well, with "Wait Till You See Her" and "Thou Swell" (both of which are great songs I don't hear played much today). She even performs a couple tunes in French (“It Might As Well Be Spring” and “Tout Doucement”).

    After her tenure with Verve, Blossom Dearie would record for other labels, as well as forming and releasing albums on her own label, Daffodil, from 1974 onwards.  She would frequent many of New York’s supper clubs and continue to travel and play around the world, making a return to Paris, and made appearances at London's premier jazz destination, Ronnie Scott’s. As mentioned previously, many of us know Dearie from her few appearances singing songs for “Schoolhouse Rock”, singing  the aforementioned “Unpack Your Adjectives”, and “Figure Eight”.  Blossom Dearie continued to play the New York clubs until 2006, and sadly passed on February 9th, 2009. 

    In an age where society is searching for more important female figures, Blossom Dearie is one that often gets overlooked. And why should she? She had her own distinctive voice in jazz, was signed to one of the premier labels of the day, and could play and write as well as any of her male contemporaries.  If anyone does remember her, it’s mainly for her work with Schoolhouse Rock, and that seems wrong to me, because her body of work prior is so good and she is very much more an original then her contemporaries. Do yourself a favor and find any of her Verve LP’s and give a listen. Even more so, listen to her sing this song that best represents her, because Blossom Dearie is, and always should be, an Important voice in jazz music and as hip as anyone before or after her.

Rocking Down Under: Kallaj’s Guide To Aussie Rock [PART THREE]

So it's been a year. Don't worry, I didn't forget about finishing this off, lets go!




1: "Rock N Roll Outlaw”: Rose Tattoo 

Rose Tattoo kicks serious ass, just look at these guys!! 

Like AC/DC, their first album was produced by George Young and Harry Vanda (sensing a theme yet?).  Also, their hard rock meets hard blues sound is the perfect mix where nether side oversteps and comes off as a distinctive sound.  With this sound, Rose Tattoo made themselves big favorites on the Aussie pub circuit. Rock N Roll Outlaw gives a great glimpse into what I’m talking about. Rose Tattoo were one of the many bands who recorded for Albert Productions of Sydney, the label that launched careers of The Easybeats, Stevie Wright, and AC/DC. The big thing about the recordings produced at Alberts is that the guitar sound on any of these recordings is very distinctive. As with this record, the guitar is largely present and very crunchy. Young & Vanda are very overlooked as producers, and they helped develop a great sound for their label.  Also, the lead vocalist, get this, Angry Anderson (seriously), has not only the best name in 70s rock, but also puts himself on the list of great voices for a frontman. If you dig this, give their S/T album a spin.

2: “Boys in Town”: The Divinyls

Yes… These guys…

All Austin Powers jokes aside, I’m a big fan of the Divinyls first couple albums, with "Boys In Town" being a strong highlight.  There’s almost a Blondie quality about this song; a strong female frontwoman, a very prominent new wave sound, so If that’s your bag, then go no further and find a copy of their first album, Desperate. Watching these guys live in 1982 shows they aren’t just a Blondie knockoff though. I love how their lead vocalist, Chrissy Amphlett, is totally rocking, and wearing schoolgirl outfit  almost like a female… 

Well… 

You know. 

The crazy thing is is the whole transformation from this to “Touch Myself” in 1991. The first two albums are very rock oriented and then they made a shift towards a more popish sound. It’s a shame they never released more harder rocking tracks after the first two albums.

Aussie Rock Today:

     

Even though I've been going old school doesn't mean there aren't good modern bands. Two great groups that come to mind are King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Amyl & The Sniffers. King Gizzard are very much in the psychedelic brand of things mixed with a bunch of other sounds that would take too long to list here, so if you like surprises and eclecticism with your music, then these guys are for you. Amyl & The Sniffers, on the other hand, are old school as they come. Mixing 70's punk with Aussie pub rock, they are one of the most exciting bands I've seen in the last couple years.

Bonus: Other great songs to check out

Below, I’ve added some other songs that’s are pretty awesome that I didn’t have a chance to talk about, but are still very much worth your time. 

• “Wild Weekend” - The Thunderbirds
• “Bombora” -  The Atlantics
• “The Loved One” - The Loved Ones
• “The Real Thing” - Russell Morris
• “Ball Power” (Whole Album) - Colored Balls 
• “Boppin The Blues” - Blackfeather
• “Eagle Rock” - Daddy Cool
• “The Freak” - Zoot
• “Riff in my Head” - Hush
• “Jump in my Car” - Ted Mulry Gang
• “Aloha Steve & Danno” - Radio Birdman
• “(I’m) Stranded” - The Saints
• “Take A Long Line” - The Angles
• “Am I Ever Going To See Your Face Again” - The Angles
• “Beautiful People” - Australian Crawl
• “Run to Paradise” - Choirboys

Final thought: If you did not get hip to Aussie rock, go back to Part One and read though again. Repeat as many times if necessary.

Steely Dan - Aja (1977)

Steely Dan
Aja

ABC 1977

I’ve always felt very conflicted about Steely Dan. I never was a fan of their radio fodder like “Do It Again” or “Rikki Don’t Loose That Number," so that always left me with a funny taste in my mouth when anybody would talk about them. Having recently dived deeper into 1977’s Aja, their seminal work, I find them to be very compelling musicians and very smart in the studio, but yet, I still find it hard to put away my conflictions. 

Here’s the skinny, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker knew the sound that they wanted, and it can’t be more apparent than with this recording. The amount of musicians they brought in to help capture this sound is so cool. From the master of the groove Bernard Purdie, to sax mastermind Wayne Shorter, every other L.A. session cat who was hot at the time is here in one way or another (Steve Gadd, Larry Carlton, Tom Scott, Chuck Rainey, etc.).  Each performer brings a different element to the table, and it is mixed together in each track with such care and precision that the regular pop listener all the way up to an audiophile will find joy in something. That’s why Fagen and Becker intrigue me, they knew all these cats so they totally knew what they were getting into, and not many artists of this time really took the time to figure out the mastery of these great musicians. 

With music put aside, I can’t get behind the lyrics to any of these songs,  I find the lyrics incredibly pretentious. Looking at “Deacon Blues”, probably my favorite track on the album,  it is described by Becker as “... a broken dream of a broken man living a broken life”. The problem is,  I can’t get behind these guys and it doesn’t feel legit, it feels as though they're posers. One of the things that makes a great lyricist, is the ability to understand and feel where they are coming from; Bruce Springsteen and Merle Haggard come to mind.  I also get a lyricist who chooses to use a strong poetic approach, also heavily seen within the lyrics on this album. But again, I don’t feel that they truly are trying to be poetic. Look at how Tom Waits does it on Small Change, that is very much something that you can get behind, as with Patti Smith’s Horses. I get that Fagen and Becker like to romanticize the life of being a jazz musician, or the hopeful rise of a movie star, but as strong as their music ability comes, their lyrics do not reach that level.  This is what happens when you mix an album correctly, you get a great sounding piece of art that makes you want to pick it up again to uncover other little gems that you missed the first few times you hear it. 

Although I wouldn’t call Fagen and Becker jazz musicians, they can comprehend, understand, (steal), and appreciate the jazz process to bring that sort of musicianship to their recordings... Just don't take the lyrics to heart, and "Drink your big black cow and get out of here".

Rocking Down Under: Kallaj’s Guide To Aussie Rock [PART TWO]

Grabbed another Fosters?



Awesome, then let's get back into it!

1. “Live At Sunbury 1972”: Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs

Ok, this is an album, but bear with me.

Thorpe & The Aztecs started out sounding like the British bands of the era, very beat oriented. They were the best band in all the land until the Easybeats showed up. By the late 60’s, Thorpe was trying to change his image; growing his hair out, playing louder rock music, attempting to try LSD live on TV, the usual moves. Come 1972, the Aztecs reformed, Thorpe started belting the blues and they appeared at Sunbury. What is Sunbury? Why it’s Australia’s equivalent to Woodstock! After a day of great Aussie rock, The Aztecs came out and blew the audience away. Don’t believe me? Well lucky for us they recorded their set.  The only word I can find to describe this is; explosive. Think about it, a long day of music, drinking beer, getting kinda tired from sitting in the hot sun all day, and then the Aztecs walk out, start playing "CC Rider" and poof, you’re along for the ride. The only downside to this, is that some of the songs drag on for way too long, kinda jam band like, but not even close. Regardless, once you get hooked in, you’re good to go!

     2. “Black Eyed Bruiser”: Stevie Wright

Long after the Easybeats, George Young and Harry Vanda became very successful songwriters and producers. Setting up shop in Albert Studios, the duo wrote and produced hits John Paul Young, "Love Is In The Air", and produced the first albums for George’s brothers band, AC/DC. At the same time that AC/DC was working on their first albums, former Easybeat vocalist Stevie Wright was working on a solo career for himself. After releasing the album Hard Road in 1974 to great success, Wright was getting deeper into a drug addiction that proved to be bothersome to the production of the next album. The outcome, Black Eyed Bruiser, would be Wright’s last album for nearly 15 years, and destroy any hope for a truly prosperous solo career. Although not as successful as previous singles such as “Evie” or "Hard Road", this song was one of my first exposures into deeper tracks in Aussie Rock. If you’re an AC/DC fan, this song is for you. That opening riff is very Malcom Young esc, and Wright sounds like Bon Scott for a couple moments.  It’s just a great record to pump you up for a barroom brawl!

       3. "Khe Sanh": Cold Chisel 

Once again, I give you an artist that you probably have never heard off, but this one always strikes me funny. Cold Chisel is one of Australia’s most famous bands and many consider one of the best alongside AC/DC. And why shouldn’t they be?  Their song, ”Khe Sanh”, a song about a returning Vietnam vet, troubled by the war, and his struggles to adjust back into society, has been called one of the best Australian songs by the Australasian Performing Right Association. Cold Chisel combines a lot of different elements into their work; from Hard Rock blasters ("Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)") to more new wave-ish pop songs ("Cheap Wine").  Their sound reminds me of bands like Boston & Bad Company, mixed in part with the new wave feel of The Police. So if you're a fan of the very familiar 70’s/80’s hard rock (you know the songs/bands I mean), I strongly suggest you check these guys out. 

Look out for part 3, coming soon!

Tubby Hayes - Tubbs (1961)

Tubby Hayes
Tubbs
Fontana, 1961

For the last couple months,  I’ve been diving into the mysterious world of British Jazz, particularly of the 1950’s & 60’s. Why is it mysterious? Because we as Americans have never felt the full blown power of jazz from across the pond. During this period, England’s Jazz scene was split by two contrasting sounds. On one side, musicians such as Chris Barber, Ken Coyler, and Humphrey Lyttleton played in the style of the Polyphonic New Orleans tradition, known as Trad Jazz. 

On the other side, musicians were looking toward the modern sounds of Charlie Parker and Horace Silver, inspiring the likes of Ronnie Scott, Joe Harriott, and Tubby Hayes. 

While there is nothing wrong with the Trad Jazz boom, I’ve found the the Modern Jazz scene and sound to be extremely interesting. When I picked up the Tubby Hayes album “Tubbs”, I was gobsmacked. 

This album is somewhat split, some of the tracks feature Hayes playing with a big band, while the other tracks feature him with a quartet. I was shocked to hear a Saxophonist who could easily hold his own and, dare I say, outplay these masters.  Hayes was 26 at the time of this recording, and to put it into perspective, Coltrane was 34, and Rollins was 30. Put on Hayes’s take on "Cherokee" to get the best taste. Even then, on two of the tracks, “S’posin” and “The Folks Who Live On The Hill”, Hayes puts the sax down and shreds on vibes!  

Hayes’s playing has a high level of technical proficiency as heard in the blowing, but also, he gives off a strong proficiency in the blues and shows the appropriate vocab, like in the track “Tubbsville”. All these things mentioned can be seen in each of the other tracks on this album. Even his vibe playing shows great skill, I can’t name another sax player who goes and plays both these instruments very well. 

After hearing this album, I’m left with two questions, Why does nobody talk about Tubby Hayes and why does nobody in America know anything about Jazz in England? Even though Hayes came to America on a few occasions to play, he went practically unnoticed (except for recording an album with Clark Terry, and being the first British musician to play at the Half Note).  I’m always impressed with how music is able to travel, for example, many of these British musicians got their hands on American jazz records somehow. Using Blue Trane as an example, that album was only released in the United States when first released in 1957. The UK’s first official release of that album wasn’t until 1977, twenty years later. So somehow, these British players got American records, but vice versa, American players never got hold of these British records. It’s a shame that most musicians of the time never got to hear these records, but today, thanks to the internet, we can appreciate these breathtaking recordings.

Rocking Down Under: Kallaj’s Guide To Aussie Rock [PART ONE]

Rocking Down Under: Kallaj’s Guide To Aussie Rock

Australia; home of the Sydney Opera House, Koala’s, and The Wiggles.  

Look, I would have said Cold Chisel but you wouldn’t get it

Is it any wonder why this country is great?  What puts this country apart from the rest, despite an obvious location joke, is this country accepts true rock music, just look at their fans.

The Pre Mullet Age of 1973

 When we think of Aussie Rock, bands that come to mind include the mighty AC/DC, Men Down Under, INXS, and Midnight Oil. All of these groups are great in their own right, but I’m going to pass by them today to introduce the cats you don’t know; that you should know. This list is in chronologic order, and each of the artists listed have shocked the pants off me because: 1. I Didn’t know them; 2. They Aren’t the Wiggles, and 3. Are the epitome of Aussie Rock. So sit back, grab a Fosters, and keep your ears open for some great Aussie Rock

1: "Wild One": Johnny O’Keefe

Every country has its Elvis type figure to bring Rock to its respective masses; we had Elvis (duh), England had Cliff Richard, and Australia had Johnny O’Keefe. J.O.K, as many refer to him, was the first Australian to hit local Australian Top 40 charts, and was the first Aussie rocker to tour here in the states. His flamboyant stage attire, stage antics, and influences of American Rock N Roll drove Australia nuts. From the mid 50’s to the early 60’s, J.O.K released countless covers of rock staples to the Aussie masses, as well as hosting one of Australia’s first Rock TV Programs, “Six O Clock Rock”. What separates him from other early Aussie rock pioneers is this song, “Wild One”. The story goes that J.O.K and his group, The DeeJays were playing a gig above an Italian Wedding. One thing lead to another in the mens bathroom, of all places, and a full scale riot occurs. After the Navy came to restore order, J.O.K was inspired to write the song that gave Australia its first big step in Rock history. Now a rock standard, You might not know his version, but you are probably aware of famous covers done by Jerry Lee Lewis or Iggy Pop. 

2: "Sorry": The Easybeats

        If Johnny O’Keefe is the Australian equivalent of Elvis, then The Easybeats would certainly be The Beatles. I think it’s safe to say that if you know classic rock, you have come across “Friday on my Mind” at least once, but there is far more to talk about then that one song. Although they formed in Sydney, all five members of the Easybeats came from Europe. From the end of World War II to the start of the 1960s, many Europeans decided to leave and start over in Australia. At the time, Australia was desperate for an increase in population and the Aussie government focused on immigration by trying to get Europeans to move down under. Without trying to get too heavy into the politics, the families of George Young (Of Scotland), Harry Vanda (of Denmark), Dick Diamonde (of The Netherlands), Stevie Wright and Gordon "Snowy" Fleet (both of England) all were part of this wave of immigration. They were signed by Ted Albert of Albert Records (one of Australia’s first Indie labels), and by 1966, The Easybeats had 4 top 10 singles. Then they recorded their first number one, “Sorry”, and the real story begins. Written by Vanda and Wright, “Sorry” is raw, snotty and loud. The real distinctive quality, though, is Harry Vanda’s choppy guitar intro, climaxing with a slightly distorted guitar solo. This goes on the list of Punk before Punk, right up with “You Really Got Me”.  

3: "Turn Up Your Radio": The Masters Apprentices 

The Masters Apprentices are like no other band, and the first Aussie band I can think of that had their own distinct sound. Formed originally in 1964 as a surf rock band, The Mustangs, they would shift from the Ventures sound towards the Blues only a year later. The Mustangs were now the Masters Apprentices. Their sound was rawer, louder, and fuzzier than any other top 40 band of the day (put on their song “Buried and Dead”). Their sound was badass, but The Masters still marketed towards the younger pop audience. ("5 10 Man").  By the time 1970 rolled around, the band grew tired of their teenybopper image, and recorded "Turn Up Your Radio". Let’s take a look at what this song accomplishes: 1. A Song about Rock Music; 2. One or more musicians were drunk at the time of recording; 3. The song is low key an insult to someone/something.  Yeah, that sounds like a rock classic to me! Just listen to that twisted guitar/ horn section combination that circles though the song. How much more annoying can you get, but you gotta love it! Funny enough, after recording it, Australia got tangled in a Radio ban and the song didn’t get much radio play. Regardless, it still hit number 7 on the charts.

I've only listed three great records here, but I still have much more to discuss. Stay tuned for Part 2  of Kallaj's Guide to Aussie Rock!

The Flying Burrito Brothers - Gilded Palace of Sin (1969)

The Flying Burrito Brothers

Gilded Palace of Sin

A&M 1969

“Any Accolade that I’ve been payed and any kind of acknowledgment of my success, is an acknowledgment of Gram Parsons” - Dwight Yoakum 

Gram Parsons is Cosmic American Music, short and simple. What is Cosmic American Music? Well, it's a mix of American roots music such as Rock, Blues, Country, and Folk, all mixed together. With this, Parsons influence would fall over much of popular music from 1969 until his untimely death in 1973.  His spell was over the Byrds as they created the first true country rock masterpiece “Sweetheart of the Rodeo”, and Gilded Palace is truly what he wanted Sweetheart to be.  To backtrack, when “Sweetheart” was being recorded, Parsons was featured more prominently on vocal duties. When the album hit post production, the story goes that Roger McGuinn felt Gram was getting too much attention, so his vocals were removed from some tracks, leaving him singing “You’re Still On My Mind”, “Life In Prison”, and the seminal “Hickory Wind”.  After leaving the Byrds, Gram formed the Flying Burrito Brothers with Ex Byrd Chris Hillman, Steel Guitarist “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow and Bassist Chris Ethridge. Within these four musicians, they would a develop a deep unity between two similar, but yet opposing, types of music, Rock and Country, with Gram Parsons at the wheel.

      The opening track to the album, “Christine’s Tune”, sets up the listener of what’s to come, country rock music that  got drugged and went to church. Lyrically, this song could be performed by the likes of George Jones or Buck Owens; evil girl out to get you, she’s always around to get at you, and you can never escape from her. What starts to bend reality is the inclusion of that fuzzed steel guitar, supplied by “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow. Listening to it, you loose the sense of that honky tonk/Bakersfield country aesthetic and you peer into the west coast psychedelic beyond. It shows how vital of an opening track it is by foreshadowing this album in a song; this is what you’re getting into and any sense of regularity is long gone. 

If Gram is the heart and soul of this album, then Chris Hillman is blood flowing. Hillman’s contributions should not be over looked. He, like Gram, had a wide taste in music, with big elements of country, as well as bluegrass under his fingers. Hillman’s bluegrass styles are seen heavily on “My Uncle” (which he cowrote with Parsons).  Again, the idea of a traditional country feel is very present, but the lyrics, depicting scenes of the draft and subsequent dodging of it gives the whole idea of making country accessible to a rock audience. 

What wraps this album together is the inclusion of "Do Right Woman" and "Dark End of the Street"; two soul songs.  Country and Soul music share many similarities;  southern oriented, rooted in the church, and an expression of the heart. 

Dark End Of The Street

Do Right Woman

The big three musical elements of this album are Rock, Country and Soul. Many would consider this album as Proto Country Rock, but I disagree with that label. This album offers much more than just Country and Rock, and to label it as such shuts off other idea's that this album has produced. Having three contrasting, but very similar styles pull together, giving off the idea of what Parsons was searching for, Cosmic American Music.