Discovery of the Day - Graham Nash in the Hollies

So this is basic RnR history stuff, but I recently discovered that Graham Nash of CSN(Y) was in the British "invasion" group The Hollies, known to lovers of Oldies radio for such classics as "Bus Stop" and "Carrie Ann." Listening to them again, and those tight close harmonies, unravels yet another piece of the Laurel Canyon puzzle.

Here's a great live version of Bus Stop!

25 Great Country Music Artists Singing Their Famous Original Hits

Does it get any better than this? There's something special about 50's Country to me. It was in a strange spot - between pop and hillbilly, which, come to think of it, that country music is still in today. Anyway. I pulled this record out again last night - it's long been my favorite 50's Country Compilation. Easily.

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A1 Roy Acuff - Wabash Cannonball
A2 Bill Anderson - Still
A3 Eddy Arnold - Bouquet of Roses
A4 Bobby Bare - Detroit City
A5 Johnny Bond - Cimarron
A6 Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line
A7 Patsy Cline - I Fall to Pieces
A8 Dave Dudley - Six Days on the Road
A9 Red Foley - Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy
A10 Lefty Frizzell - If You've Got the Money (I've Got the Time)
A11 Don Gibson - I Can't Stop Loving You
A12 Pee Wee King - Tennessee Waltz

B1 Roger Miller - You Don't Want My Love in the Summertime
B2 George Morgan - Candy Kisses
B3 Buck Owens - Act Naturally
B4 Ray Price - Heartaches by the Number
B5 Jim Reeves - He'll Have to Go
B6 Tex Ritter - Rye Whiskey
B7 Marty Robbins - Singing the Blues
B8 Hank Snow - I'm Moving On
B9 Hank Thompson - Humpty Dumpty Heart
B10 Merle Travis - So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packedd
B11 Ernest Tubb - Walking the Floor Over You
B12 Kitty Wells - It Wasn't God Who Make Honky Tonk Angels
B13 Hank Williams - Your Cheatin' Heart

What's spinning...

Lately I've been playing Jim Carroll Band and Richard Hell and the Voidoids over and over.

More in-depth thoughts coming soon.

Raining books..

When it rains it pours - A Fall new-book reading list:

Jonathan Lethem: Chronic City - October 13. http://www.jonathanlethem.com/chroniccity.html

E.L. Doctorow: Homer and Langley - Already out.

Margaret Atwood: The Year of the Flood - Already out.

Zadie Smith: Changing My Mind - November. http://zadiesmithnews.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/changing-my-mind-more-information/

Nick Hornby: Juliet, Naked - Sept. 29.

A New Literary History of America (Marcus / Sollors, eds.): http://newliteraryhistory.com/index.html - Already out.

And Gary Shteyngart and Chuck Klosterman have books rumored for the end of 2009 - at least Jhumpa Lahiri and Edward P. Jones have taken some time off!