Ultimate break-up mix

You guys, I broke up with my boyfriend a few weeks ago. It was amicable/mutual/logical or whatever, but it still sucks a lot. Especially since I'm in a new town, and I have a lot of alone time to watch cheesy teen dramas from Australia and sob. (But I mean seriously, the curveball at the end of season 2 was heartbreaking.) Anyway, in the interest of full self-pity, here are some songs to cry to.



1. "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston (1993)
I just watched The Bodyguard (1992) this afternoon,* and this song just spoke to me in the way that only early 90s pop ballads can.



2. "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton (1974)
Speaking of The Bodyguard, the original version of "I Will Always Love You" is effective in its simplicity. The speaking parts are perfection.



3. "Bell Bottom Blues" by Derek and the Dominos (1970)
Just a reeking of desperation.



4. "Over You" by Miranda Lambert  (2012)
Okay, so no one died or anything, but it gets the general idea that losing someone sucks.



5. "Caroline No" by The Beach Boys (1966)
Ugh, Beach Boys, you make an ending relationship sound so beautiful.



6. "It Makes No Difference" by The Band (1975)
First class lyrics and mournful guitar and saxophone solos. It certainly helps that Rick Danko's voice sounds like it's going to give out at any minute.



7. "Marvin's Room (Can't Do Better)" by Jojo (2011)
This song is so embarrassing, it's perfect. NSFW.




8. "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac (1975)
This was one of the ex's favorite songs. Seems apropos.



9. "Let It Die" by Feist (2004)
Possibly the saddest chorus I've ever heard.



10. "The Shrine/An Argument" by Fleet Foxes (2011)
Epic folk, ending in chaos.



11. "Now At Last" by Blossom Dearie (1956)
This is what it feels like.



12. "St. Swithin's Day" by Billy Bragg (1984)
A man, his guitar, a beautiful chord progression, and an overabundance of lyrics.



Feel better? Me neither. Have a good cry.


*My sister's really accurate commentary. 

I was going to do an album review,

and then I discovered this gem of a special recounting The Band's eponymous 2nd album from 1969. The surviving members of the Band talk about each other and the creation of the music, and it makes me so, so happy seeing as how I can't stop listening to the album. It's glorious and sounds like the 19th Century South I find so fascinating. Enjoy:

I would give this special a hug if I could.

The Band > Hipsters

Until hipsters start playing blues-based rock with a heavy streak of nostalgia for the South*, their beards can't even compete with the early era of the Band.

For your viewing pleasure:

So many delicious facial hair options.

And again:

So many delicious hat options.

Here: watch them jam "King Harvest" and "Long Black Veil" from 1970:


Piano and an organ? The best. Drummer-singer? Impressive. What can I say, I'm mildly obsessed with their first two albums. The late 60s/70s rockapalooza continues.

*Fun fact: 4/5 members of the Band are Canadian!

Everyone covers Dylan: "I Shall Be Released"

So Bob Dylan, right? Great songwriter, terrible singer. More often than not, I enjoy covers of his songs rather than his versions, since his voice tends to kill a song for me. Lucky for you, I'm willing to scour the YouTubes to find you 5 of these great covers of a Dylan song each week. This is an impossible task, especially since the 60s were a time when people unabashedly covered songs and released them as singles or performed them on all those variety shows. All I can guarantee are a variety of versions that are good.

First up, "I Shall Be Released." This song was written by our man Bob in 1967.

Bob Dylan's version was recorded in in 1971 for Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II:



Although the first recording of it (according to the 'pedia) was in 1968 by the Band, Dylan's band for a time.

1. Here's the Band at the Express Festival of 1970:




2. Nina Simone's version (1969) gives it some soul:




3. Sting at The Secret Policeman's Other Ball in 1981 reggae-ing it up. You know I love it:




4. The Jerry Garcia Band in 1990 giving a solid version of the song with good solos (organ especially) and mellow soul:




5. Jeff Buckley gets spare on his version on the 1993 album, Live at Sin-é.