What's the deal with John Hiatt?

Liking Two Bit Monsters from 1980, which I found a copy of for $1 last week, at least as much and probably more than Warming Up To The Ice Age, even. Just seems obvious to me that Hiatt started (or at least started the '80s -- still have heard none of his '70s stuff) sounding much tougher and more rock than he wound up, and a few cuts here ("Face The Nation," "Cop Party," "String Pull Job") have him and his band stretching out some and getting more hard-boiled than I've heard him elsewhere. Overall vibe variously reminds me of not just This Year's Model, but also the first couple Graham Parker and Joe Jackson and Moon Martin albums, and Zevon's Excitable Boy. But unlike all those other guys, I seem to have a real problem grasping what Hiatt's singing about -- I'll catch cool lines here and there, but his voice muffles as often as not, and I almost never get a clear idea what the words add up to. Only real exception on this album is "I Spy (For The FBI)," a song about stalking an unfaithful woman which turns out to be the only one he didn't write. That's followed by a couple ("Pink Bedroom," "Good Girl, Bad World") that I take it have something to do with the travails of teenage girls, but I'm not exactly sure what. (The line about the girl mixing Coca Cola with valium in "Pink Bedroom" always jumps out, though.) Might just take 10 or 20 more listens for me to figure it all out. (By the way, I'm pretty sure Trouser Press voted either this one or 1979's Slug Line their album of the year when it came out.)

And "I Spy (For The FBI)" shouldn't be confused with "Spy Boy," his song from 1980's Crusing that reminded me of AC/DC when I saw the movie (I mention it way upthread). Don't think that's on any of his LPs; need to keep hunting around for the soundtrack.

i would probably rather listen to later richard thompson albums that i would never listen to.

don't hiatt albums come with lyric sheets? i would think they would.

he's no tonio k. that's all i know.

i own 11 jj cale albums. and i listen to all of them. and he never bores me! even when it sounds like he's singing in his sleep.

i own 10 jackie deshannon albums. ditto.

jackie deshannon shits on john hiatt from a great height. (alex in nyc memorial post)

I was actually going to say that Two Bit Monsters is just about the only album I've heard lately that I wish came with a lyric sheet! (Usually I don't have much use for those things. Of the other two Hiatt albums I own, Riding With The King has one, and Warming Up To The Ice doesn't. But I bought all these used, so maybe they disappeared somewhere along the line.)

Also: Cruising I meant, duh.

Just checked The New Trouser Press Record Guide, and Ira Robbins definitely prefered Slug Line (Hiatt's "rawest and most powerful" album) to Two Bit Monsters ("repeats Slug Line's style, but with less bite"), so I'm guessing the former is the one T.P. named Album of the Year. (Also, the latter would've had to beat London Calling, which is unlikely.)

Should probably also mention that the Hiatt stuff I've heard is never really as catchy as Costello or Joe Jackson were on their first couple LPs. (But those were real catchy records, obviously. And he's as catchy as the first two Graham Parkers.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTiDJd62y-A

I have no real Jackie DeShannon opinion, strangely enough. But Scott and I definitely see eye-to-eye on the great Tonio K.

JJ Cale always bores me. (Or always has, whenever I've tried.)

someone finally put arlyn gale on youtube! not the best song on the album though. he's searching for his inner lynott on this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXywW_nBTdg

i hate to call someone's music "comfort food" for some reason. mostly cuz i hate that term? most food is pretty comforting to me. but anyway jj is like that for me. and i love his songs. and i love his miniaturist sensibility. oh i like lots of things about him.

jackie deshannon is married to soft pop dweeb turned film and t.v. score titan randy edelman. he doesn't deserve her.

http://www.recordsale.org/cdpix/r/randy_edelman-if_love_is_real.jpg

Edelman looks like Andy Samberg on SNL!

still have heard none of his '70s stuff

I've liked "Hanging Around The Observatory" since it was new in '74, but his singing is VERY affected and marble-mouthed; he sounds like he's aping Randy Newman. Still have never heard "Overcoats," and then there's a four year gap until "Slug Line."

and fyi: ry cooder was in jackie's band when she toured with and supported the beatles on their first u.s. tour.

(and she used to date elvis presley AND jimmy page!)

anyway, this thread isn't about her.

jackie deshannon used to write songs with randy newman. okay, i''ll stop...

btw, xhuxk, Rosanne Cash's version of "Pink Bedroom" should help you see what Hiatt was aiming for.

i don't know Hiatt's work but i keep listening to his daughter Lilly's 2017 album Trinity Lane and it's really good imo. I included it in my 2017 country albums mix and whenever one of the tracks comes up, it really grabs my attention.

She's rad.

I like her pop's turn of the 80s album string where he was in a very Costello/Graham Parker mold.

He just cancelled the rest of his shows this year after taking a bad fall off a hiking trail. He's expected to make a full recovery though.

He had to smash a perfectly good guitar to break his fall though.

Emmylou Harris is useless, always has been!

This board seems to have been populated in its early days by people who took contrarian opinions just because.

lol that's xhuxk. Must have been having a grumpy day.