Strangers Almanac
I learned via Facebook this morning that Whiskeytown's Strangers Almanac turned 20 yesterday. By about a thousand-fold, people probably know the name Ryan Adams more than they do Whiskeytown. In the 17 years since Adams disbanded Whiskeytown, nothing he's released touches his work with Caitlin Cary, Steven Terry, Phil Wandscher, Skillet Gilmore and Brad Rice in Whiskeytown. And across their impressive, yet sloppy catalogue, they hit their stride and released one masterpiece, Strangers Almanac.
I was 23 and living in New York when SA was released. And looking back, 1997 was, without question, the best year for music in my lifetime. Stand out records by Old 97's, Richard Buckner, Son Volt, The Jayhawks, Elliott Smith, Yo La Tengo, Modest Mouse and close to a hundred others, inspired my friends and I to literally live in the New York rock clubs. Irving Plaza, Mercury Lounge, Bowery, Tramps, Bottom Line -- we were often out 4-5 nights a week, many nights until the sun rose. Great new records were being released at such a rapid pace that we couldn't keep up. I mean, OK Computer came out in '97 and we barely noticed; Dylan's Time Out of Mind was sort of an afterthought. I think I made a Top 50 list that year, as opposed to the typical Top 10.
The day after Strangers Almanac came out, I went to lunch with my then girlfriend. We sat in a midtown restaurant and I could not stop talking about the record. I spent the entire previous night playing the album over and over and over, deep into the night. "It's a masterpiece," I declared. She was into the likes of Maxwell and Erykah Badu, but I wouldn't let up. "You have to hear this. Tonight. This is the Ryan Adams we've been hearing about, all that potential, the next Dylan, etc." We listened to the record for the next year. Over the course of a two-plus-year relationship, it was the only record we truly connected on.
I saw Whiskeytown live once. They were on a double-bill with Fastball at Tramps in Midtown. Before the show, a bunch of friends and I met up at a midtown bar for drinks. After stuffing the jukebox, a stranger approached us, "Who's this song by? It's driving me nuts." Nothing gets a record nerd as giddy as educating the public on his/her deep music knowledge. "The Replacements. 'Here Comes a Regular' off of Tim." I mean, I even had to drop the album, which he didn't ask about. Turned out, our new pal was also heading over the Tramps. We ended up talking music throughout the night, staying out until past 3am. Scott has been one of my closest friends for now 20 years thanks to Ryan and co.
When Ryan disbanded Whiskeytown and released, what many consider to be another masterpiece, Heartbreaker, my interest waned. Sure, there were some excellent tracks, namely "Oh My Sweet Carolina" and "Come Pick Me Up", but to my ears, Ryan could never accomplish what he did with his outstanding supporting cast from 1994-2000. Go listen to "Inn Town." Or put on "Losering" while you're on the highway. Or "Houses on the Hill" when you're, anywhere. These songs are gorgeous, heartbreaking and explosive. And Strangers Almanac sounds as good today as it did that evening in 1997 when I spun it for the first time.
Well I found a bunch of letters
That were written for the fellow who broke your momma's heart
And the envelop fold smelled of her ancient perfume
I'll bet she didn't know
How to respond before the blankets of snow
Caught him out wandering alone
With no place to go
There were stars in the sky
There were houses on the hill
And there were bottles of pills that were easy to buy
To keep her warm from the oncoming storm
