"...The Cost Of Living..."
While I don't think its the
masterpiece everyone says it is - "Cass Country" by DON HENLEY is a
keeper nonetheless - a strong set of songs with his fabulously expressive voice
still sounding like aural nectar. Henley has a timber in his sound now that
only years can give and it serves this Country Music homage perfectly.
But I'd like to concentrate
on which issue to buy. The UK and Europe has two versions of "Cass
Country" and I'd like to explain where to get each by using their Barcodes
(with my preference being the longer 'Deluxe Edition').
Released September 2015 -
the 'Standard Edition' on Capitol Records 00602537919017 (Barcode 602537919017)
has only 12 tracks, but the 'Deluxe Edition' on Capitol 00602547418135 (Barcode
602547418135) has 16 as follows:
1. Bramble Rose - featuring
Duet Vocals with Miranda Lambert and Mick Jagger [Jagger also play Harmonica]
2. The Cost Of Living -
featuring Duet Vocals with Merle Haggard
3. No Thank You - featuring
Vince Gill on Harmony Vocals and Guitar with Jerry Douglas on Pedal Steel
Guitar
4. Waiting Tables -
featuring Harmony Vocals with Molly Felder, Jamey Johnson and Ann Womack
5. Take A Picture Of This -
featuring Stan Lynch of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers on Guitars
6. Too Far Gone - featuring
Alison Krauss and Jamey Johnson on Harmony Vocals
7. That Old Flame -
featuring Martina McBride on Duet Vocals with Chris Holt on Lead Guitar
8. The Brand New Tennessee
Waltz - featuring Alison Krauss on Harmony Vocals
9. Words Can Break Your
Heart - featuring Trisha Yearwood on Harmony Vocals
10. When I Stop Dreaming -
Duet Lead Vocals with Dolly Parton
11. Praying For Rain -
featuring Vince Gill, Molly Felder, Alison Krauss, Ashley Monroe and Trisha
Yearwood on Harmony Vocals
12. Too Much Pride -
featuring Gale Mayes and Angela Primm
13. She Sang Hymns Out Of
Tune - featuring Molly Felder, Ashley Monroe and Court Yard Hounds (ex Dixie
Chicks - Martie Maguire and Emily Robison) on Harmony Vocals
14. Train In The Distance -
featuring Lucinda Williams on Harmony Vocals with Stan Lynch on Guitars
15. A Younger Man
16. Where I Am Now -
featuring Trisha Yearwood on Harmony Vocals
The 12-Track Standard Edition
(which has a different layout of songs) can be sequenced from the Deluxe
Version by using Tracks 1, 2, 5, 4, 3, 11, 9, 7, 10, 15, 14 and 16. The four
extras on the Deluxe Edition are Tracks 6, 8, 12 and 13 - "Too Far
Gone", "The Brand New Tennessee Waltz", "Too Much
Pride" and "She Sang Hymns Out Of Tune".
Eleven of the sixteen songs
are Don Henley and Stan Lynch originals with five cover versions - Tift
Merritt's "Bramble Rose", Billy Sherrill's "Too Far Gone",
Jesse Winchester's "The Brand New Tennessee Waltz", The Louvin
Brothers' "When I Stop Dreaming" and Jesse Lee Kincaid's "She
Sang Hymns Out Of Tune". Guitarist Steuart Smith and Eagle band mate
Timothy B. Schmit co-wrote "Waiting Tables" with Henley and Lynch -
while Steuart Smith also co-wrote three others with the duo - "Words Can
Break Your Heart" and "Too Much Pride" and "A Younger
Man". The album has a gorgeous sound quality courtesy of Producers Henley
and Lynch with Mastering by the hugely experienced BOB LUDWIG.
In February 2019 - the
Standard Version of 12 Tracks is a fiver while the 16-Track Deluxe Edition with
four more songs is bizarrely less on Amazon UK - just over four quid (use the Barcodes
provided above to get whichever issue you want – copy and paste either into their Search Box).
My only reservation with the
whole album would be the overuse of the Pedal Steel Guitar and the under use of
Alison Krauss and her beautiful voice (you can barely decipher her Harmonies).
And as much as I love the Stones and dig their many Country twang moments on
classic albums like "Let It Bleed" and "Sticky Fingers" –
Mick Jagger’s voice on the opener "Bramble Rose" just doesn’t work
and even feels oddly fay and forced (his Harmonica playing was enough).
Other than that I'm off now
to re-listen to "The Cost Of Living" and "Words Can Break Your
Heart" - two Henley originals - impressive, intelligent and moving.
Frankly would we expect anything less from this American singer-songwriter and
genuine class act...
