A Honky Tonkin' Friday Random Ten

Most every one of my Friday shuffle is a country or country-inflected song. That's a good thing. And on top of that, Dylan shows up twice. As Bill and Ted would say, "Most excellent!"

1. Changing of the Guards- Bob Dylan
2. Set Me Free- Utopia
3. Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine-Bob Dylan
4. The Ballad of Spider John- Jimmy Buffet
5. Streets of Bakersfield- Dwight Yoakum and Buck Owens
6. Folsom Prison Blues- Johnny Cash
7. Salt of the Earth- Rolling Stones
8. Cool Drink Water- Gun Club
9. Local Color- Quicksilver Messenger Service
10. The Have Nots- X

Notes:
1. From Street Legal, an album that came out in the late seventies.
2. Great little number by Todd Rundgren's band.
3. From Blonde On Blonde, one of the greatest albums of all time. Dylan recorded it in Nashville with a bunch of Nashville session musicians. One entire side of the vinyl double lp is taken up with Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands, written for his new wife Sara. He'd refer to this later on the post break-up song Sara on Desire: "Staying up for days/In the Chelsea Hotel/Writing 'Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' For You."
4. Ken Buttrey, who played drums on Blonde On Blonde also played drums on this record. Willis Alan Ramsey wrote this little gem, and can thus perhaps be forgiven for also haven written The Captain and Tenille's horrific Muskrat Love. Maybe.
5. This duet with Buck Owens was Owens' first number one hit in 16 years.
6. From the Live At Folsom Prison album. "Hello-- I'm Johnny Cash."
7. From Beggar's Banquet, the last Stones album that Brian Jones played on.
8. This album's also got She's Like Heroin To Me, an eighties classic.
9. A great instrumental from one of the groups that came out of the Summer of Love forty years ago in San Francisco. Guitarist John Cipollina's brother Mario plays guitar for Huey Lewis and the News.
10. Still regretting missing the Knitters at the Folk and Roots Fest last weekend-- John Doe and Exene from X are in the Knitters, along with my close personal friend Dave Alvin.