T Bone Burnett — 610, 609, 608, 607

ALBUMS:  Trap Door (1982); Proof Through The Night (1983); T Bone Burnett (1986); The Talking Animals (1987)

MVC Rating: Trap: 4.0/$$; Proof: 4.0/$$; T Bone 4.5/$$$; Talking 3.5/$$

I think I may be the only one in Alabama to have four T Bone Burnett albums. For one thing, Burnett is  much better known as a producer than a singer-songwriter. And he is generally better known among fellow record industry folks, albeit as one of the best in the business.

So there’s not a lot folks around with any T Bone Burnett albums, much less four.

His resume is not short on his work for others: Los Lobos, Elvis Costello, John Mellencamp, Counting Crows, and the BoDeans  are just a few who are recipients of Burnett’s  excellent production values and arrangements. He’s won Grammy’s for the movie soundtracks of, among others,  Cold Mountain,  Walk the Line and O Brother Where Art Thou (one of my favorite movies and one of my favorite soundtracks.)

As for  his own recordings, they are interesting, literate and sometimes peculiar.

I got interested in T Bone after reading about him leading a back-up band for Bob Dylan, probably in the 70s or 80s. The Rolling Thunder Review it was called.

I bought Trap Door in 1982 and enjoyed the extended play record. This EP had six songs, more than a 45 but less than an LP, long-playing record.

With sharp guitar from David Mansfield, this was good top to bottom.  Burnett obliquely channels some songs through his Christianity,  but he is not usually identified  as a Christian artist. Although he has often played with like-minded musicians.

Re-visiting these albums I am struck by the fact that the least  ambitious, I like the best, and the most ambitious  I like the least. My favorite, the self-titled 1986 album is country folk at its strumming best.

River of Love by T Bone deserves to be a classic. Little daughter and I Remember are lovely. Oh No Darling makes you want to do some swinging round the room.

The Talking Animals album,  is his  most complex and least accessible. He enlists great help, Bono, Ruben Blades, Peter Case, and Tonio K. (More on Tonio later in this blog, he’s one of my favorites.)

Is Purple Heart with Bono on background vocals about Prince?

The Tonio collaboration on the song The Strange Case of Frank Cash and the Morning Paper is a talk-sing sort of parable. I believe they may be making a statement on the nature of truth as revealed in the symbolism of story. You know like the Bible, hence the title of the album.

One Amazon reviewer giving  the Frank Cash song five stars called it  ‘one of the strangest and most imaginative songs of the 20th Century.’

Looking back I see a stream of morality running through his songs, not moralism per se, but morality in such songs as Ridiculous Man, Hefner and Disney, and the tongue in cheek cover of Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.

Robert Christgau, my go-to critic for succinct wisdom, gave Burnett good reviews in the early years but soured on  him over time, specifically over the Talking Animals. Christgau acknowledges and recognizes his intelligence and accomplishments, Grammy’s and all, but “why hasn’t he developed any kind of audience?

“Because for  both a roots guy and a Christian guy (converted Dylan, some say), he seems like a cold son of a bitch.”

Aw Christgau, didn’t you hear the sweet song, presumably about his daughter, called ‘Little Daughter? You know the one where he brings her clothes of rayon. Rayon?

Don’t want to give short shrift to Trap Door and Proof through the Night. Some great songs in there, After All these Years, When the Night Falls, I Wish You Could Have Seen Her Dance.

For my money his best record is the ‘O Brother’ soundtrack, an album he produced and one of the great records of all time, as it introduced a whole new generation to bluegrass, gospel and folk-blues.

An interview with the man reveals a lot about his knowledge of recording and production and engineering.

Counting down my 678 vinyl records before I die of brain disease.