The Best of the Hightone Years Dave Alvin

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CD

  • Release Date: 10/28/2008
  • Sales Rank: 30,436
  • Label: SHOUT FACTORY
  • UPC: 826663110043

Listener Rating: (1 ratings)

Detailed Rating: "Stimulating" See All

 
  • Overview
  • Tracks
  • Editorial Reviews
  • Customer Reviews
  • Details & Credits
Track List
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The Best of the Hightone Years

1LISTENDry River previously unreleased / Alternative Version 3:47
2LISTENKing of California 4:47
3LISTENHaley's Comet 4:26
4LISTENEvening Blues 5:32
5LISTENFourth of July 4:31
6LISTENThe Cuckoo 4:04
7LISTENCalifornia Snow 3:58
8LISTENDixie Highway Blues previously unreleased 2:45
9LISTENThirty Dollar Room 4:23
10LISTENBlue Wing 3:42
11LISTENAbilene 4:55
12LISTENShenandoah 4:08
13LISTENOut in California previously unreleased / Alternative Version 4:33
14LISTENEvery Night About This Time 4:21
15LISTENWanda and Duane 3:56
16LISTENMary Brown 4:27
17LISTENWhy Did She Stay with Him Live / previously unreleased / Alternative Version 4:51
18LISTENMuseum of Heart 4:14

About this Artist

Editorial Reviews

Dave Alvin's first solo album after leaving the Blasters was recorded for Epic Records, but though Romeo's Escape (aka Every Night About This Time) was a fine record, it wasn't until Alvin began recording for the independent Hightone label that he really found his feet as a recording artist. Romeo's Escape leaned towards the swaggering roots rock sound of the Blasters with a tough, lean approach, but from Blue Blvd onward, Alvin's songwriting began to more clearly reflect his appetite for rock, blues, country, folk, and a wealth of other American musical styles. While Alvin has never forsaken his rock & roll roots, he's cut a handful of excellent acoustic albums which show he can dial down his amp and still make his message heard, and sometimes with even greater clarity. Now that Shout Factory has bought the rights to the Hightone back catalog, they've assembled The Best of the Hightone Years, an 18-song collection which is a fine and admirably comprehensive overview of Alvin's work for the label. Not all of Alvin's albums for Hightone are represented here -- the live discs Interstate City and Out in California don't make the cut -- but there are selections from all his studio sets for Hightone along with three unreleased studio tracks, one previously unheard live number, and a duet between Alvin and Katy Moffatt from her album Loose Diamond (which Alvin produced). Songs like "Haley's Comet" and "Museum of Heart" show off Alvin's gifts as a rocker, and "King of California," "Fourth of July," and "Dry River" are sterling examples of his talent for telling a story in a more intimate setting. Alvin helped compile this disc and penned a fine liner essay, and while one CD is hardly enough to encompass the full musical vision of this gifted songwriter and troubadour, The Best of the Hightone Years at least offers a concise and full-bodied thumbnail sketch of his talents. Mark Deming, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

  • Listener Rating:
  • Ratings: 1Reviews: 1

Raymond Carver Meets Chuck Berryby Timhrk

Reader Rating:
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July 18, 2009: Dave Alvin is in the same class as Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, John Prine, Lucinda Williams or anybody else you might want to add to the list of the best songwriters of our time who are not Bob Dylan. Simply put, he is one of the living masters of Rock & Roll.

The one quibble with Best of the Hightone Years is that some of my favorite Hightone moments were not selected. Nothing from his excellent live record, Interstate City, such as the remarkable medley of Berry's Promised Land, Alvin's Jubilee Train-originally penned for the Blasters-and Guthrie's Do Re Me. Other Alvin-Penned tunes, like Andersonville-the best song ever written about the infamous Confederate POW camp-are likewise neglected here. I quibble because I love. What we do get is a solid representation of an important period in one of the strongest voices in music, and one that is under rated and overlooked. What if Jackson Browne recorded at Chess and Bukowski (after reading a lot of Steinbeck) wrote the lyrics? The answer would be Dave Alvin but that only partially explains Alvin. In Alvin, you hear blues, country, folk and rock and roll and what you hear are the connections between the genres. The songs almost always depict characters usually from the underclass and trying to hold on. Best cuts include: 4th of July, Abilene, Dry River, and Out in California-an unreleased studio version, with some devastating soloing. Haley's Comet, a chuck berry invoking song about the death of Bill Halley and Wanda and Duane, a darkly humorous romp, are kick ass Rock & Roll. Great song writing, great guitar playing, and his deep, slightly gravely baritone. The unreleased stuff here makes it worthwhile for fans like myself, and a brilliant introduction for those interested. Those interested will be anyone who loves rock and roll and great songwriting. Please visit: timothyherrick.blogspot.com

I Also Recommend: To Terrapin: Hartford '77, Together Through Life, La Dame aux Camelias, The Missing, Waveland.