Sporting my 1984 EP t-shirt, Adams picked me out of the crowd just before his encore of "Come Pick Me Up." I wished we had it verbatim, but he said something to me along the following lines: And this dude in the 1984 t-shirt, he has been looking at us the same way we look at the fridge on the tour bus after ripping a few joints. [He folds his arm, nods his head in bemusement]. He has been right there with us throughout the night. Dude, you need to calm down. Calm down. At this point, Adams played a "Freakout Countdown" and sang to me while riffing on his guitar: 10, 9, calm down, 8, 7, cool down, 6, 5, 4, we're cool, we're cool, 3, 2, 1. As he sang, I went with the gag, collecting myself, breathing in big, finding my inner zen. He then had me come forward and he threw me a t-shirt. Everyone around me flipped out. It was loads of fun.
Music always comes full circle. I purchased Gold just after getting married in 2001. It soundtracked our newlywed weeks together that fall, hunkered down in our first basement apartment, combating the depressing haze of 9/11. Fast forward (almost) five kids and fifteen years later, and here I was receiving a shoutout from a songwriter I have long admired. When it comes to music, you never have to look hard to find the magic in it all.
So just for fun, here are my favorite Ryan Adams studio albums (sans Whiskeytown). Some of the albums will be quite farther down the pecking order, but I genuinely enjoyed almost all of these records, and loved at least 10 of them. So prolific, sturdy, and consistent. So alive!
- Gold. In the wake of his superb debut, Adams set about to make a classic American record. And he did. Gold is Adams' biggest-selling record and features some of his finest songwriting. "New York, New York" became an unintended 9/11 tribute, one of the best songs ever written about the city; "When the Stars Go Blue" was covered by Tim McGraw and The Corrs, making it a huge international hit; "La Cienega Just Smiled" and "Harder Now Than It's Over" are perfect break-up songs with lights-out guitar lines; "Firecracker," "Somehow, Someday," "Rescue Blues," "Nobody Girl," the songs just keep coming at you.
- Demolition. A collection of demos and outtakes, the album is not exactly cohesive, ranging from power-pop to down-tempo folk, but it includes some stellar favorites like "Nuclear," "Hallelujah," "Desire," and "Dear Chicago." Though Adams complained some of the songs deserved to be on other records, and the rock songs lacked his intended punch, the haphazard Demolition just may be my most listened to Adams joint.
- Heartbreaker. Much has been written about this record. It saved Elton John's life. Adams' solo debut is considered by many to be his best, and its hard to argue with them. Starting with an argument about Morrissey, the record features long-time favorites "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)," "Winding Wheel," "Oh My Sweet Carolina," and set closer "Come Pick Me Up." It is a break up record for the king of break up songs, rascally and wry but with a lyrical maturity beyond his years.
- Love is Hell. Coming after the departure that is Rock N Roll, Love is Hell is a surprising and sprawling album that initially had many early fans scratching their heads. Where is Adams taking us now? Looking back, the record is vintage Adams, although clearly with a darker rock bent. Originally released as a double-EP, then later combined into a proper album, give me Pt. 1 every day of the week, a near perfect series of angst-riddled tracks: "This House is Not For Sale," "Anybody Wanna Take Me Home," "Love is Hell," "Wonderwall" (yes, an amazing version of that Wonderwall), "The Shadowlands," "World War 24," and "Avalanche."
- Cold Roses. Adams first album with the Cardinals is his best. The excellent band teased out some of Adams finest "country" rock songs such as "Magnolia Mountain," "Sweet Illusions," "Easy Plateau," "Let It Ride," and "If I Am A Stranger."
- Easy Tiger. Styled as completely solo, the Cardinals actually played on this record, too, although it sounds much different than Cold Roses, favoring more straightforward pop songs in his folk-rock idiom. Standouts include the manic "Halloweenhead," the wistful "Everybody Knows" and "These Girls," and the Sheryl Crow collaboration "Two."
- Ryan Adams. His most recent original release, this self-titled collection surveys more power-pop territory, his most focused foray into 80's inspired guitar rock.
- Cardinology. An underrated sleeper among his output, Cardinology showcases sneaky good tracks like "Fix It," "Cobwebs," and "Crossed Out Name."
- 1989. An entire reworking of Taylor Swift's world-beating 1989 album. Regardless of your reaction to that, the songs actually hold up on their own, subject to Adams' relatively straightforward approach. "Bad Blood" and "All You Had to Do Was Stay" duke it out for best of the bunch.
- Rock N Roll. "So Alive" is still fire. There are some other mixed results on this "mess of identikit garage buffoonery" as one critic called it (harsh!), but The D Man still listened to it all summer in 2004. Great driving record!
- Ashes & Fire. An acoustic-based set followed up his Cardinals era, and for whatever reason, it just never captured my attention as I zoned in on other things. It probably deserves some more focus at some point, although "Lucky Now" was immediately accessible.
- Jacksonville City Nights. His second album with the Cardinals went for the urban cowboy burnout vibe, and reaches some fine moments on "Hard Way to Fall," "The Hardest Part," and "Peaceful Valley."
- III/IV. A massive double-album recorded during the same era as Easy Tiger, III/IV is Adams' last-hurrah with the Cardinals. Plenty to wade through here, just never invested the time to do much wading on this one.
- 29. Slow-burning and down-tempo, even at its release, it just never clicked with me.
- Orion. His heavy-metal foray. Not nearly as strong as his 80's Replacements riffing effort on the 1984 EP, which at 12 minutes, does not even qualify as an album does it?
