New releases: Sept. 20, 2005

I've been thinking of quitting my nasty habit of knee-jerk purchasing live albums. Here is my usual 12-step process, which you'd think would lead to recovery:

1) Bitch for years about a band not having a live album.
2) Hear through the grapevine that said band is finally getting around to releasing one.
3) Get worked up about the band releasing a live album instead of giving me the new, original material I crave.
4) Deal with the conspiracy theories in my head that make me wonder if this live album might mean said band is breaking up.
5) Settle down and wait eagerly for the live album.
6) Buy the live album the day it comes out.
7) Rip off wrapper and that damn sticker on top of the CD case.
8) Shove CD in CD player.
9) Get bored by the fourth song.
10) Take CD out of CD player.
11) Put CD in its rightful alphabetical place in my CD shelving.
12) Forget it ever happened.

It's sad, but it's true. Most bands never replicate their live performances on CD. Maybe it's the format and it's technological limitations. Or maybe it's because I'm not standing in some hot bar with a cold beer in my hand. Or maybe it's because I'm not all worked up because some guy who's seven feet tall decided to stand in front of me (ALWAYS happens -- ask Sean! He's witnessed my irresistible tall-person-at-concert magnetism in action.). Whatever the reason, these live CDs, even from some of my favorite folks, just always seem to bring disappointment. Alison Krauss live? Good, sure. But not as good as her live show. Lyle Lovett's "Live in Texas" is one of the better live CDs I've heard, and I do still listen to it from time to time, but it's still not quite up there with his live gigs. (Mark this day in your calendars: I said something not-all-the-way-lovey about my man Lyle. May never happen again.) Lucinda's? Meh. It's OK, I guess. Jayhawks' "Live from the Women's Club" 1 and 2? Actually kind of shitty, mostly because the recording quality seems poor.

So you'd think I'd stop buying live CDs, then, right? Good point. And maybe I will ... right after I snap up the new Old 97's two-disc live one coming out Tuesday!

I think this one will be different. Don't know why, but I can feel it. Maybe it's because the Old 97's manage to convey an alive-and-kickin' feel even on their studio-recorded CDs. Or maybe because the little live bonus CD that came out with some copies of "Satellite Rides" was really, really, good. Could be because seeing Rhett Miller's beautiful, beautiful hair in rock-star action at past live shows has hypnotized me into blind faith in him. Whatever, man. I'm buying this CD, and even if the rest of it is ... meh ... I can still rock out to "Timebomb," which may be one of the best live songs ever.

Check out the track listing here. Sorry, no photos there of Rhett's magical hair. We can only cross our fingers and hope there'll be one in the liner notes.

New releases for Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005:
Old 97's (live) -- Alive and Wired (New West)
Jerry Douglas -- Best Kept Secret (Koch)
Norman Blake -- Back Home in Sulphur Springs (Dualtone)
Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash -- Mile Markers (Emergent/92e)
Christine Lavin -- Folkzinger (Appleseed)
Jon Randall -- Walking Among the Living (Sony)
Billy Joe Shaver -- Real Deal (Compadre)
Will Taylor and Strings Attached (live) -- Collaborations (Heart Music) Features songs with the likes of Slaid Cleaves, Shawn Colvin Eliza Gilkyson.