Music Collection #5: Ryan Adams, Rock N Roll

Artist: Ryan Adams
Album: Rock N Roll
Favorite Song: So Alive
Origin: Best Buy, 76th Street in Greenfield

So I made the comment in regards to the Gold bonus disc that I didn't like it at first, which was surprising for a Ryan Adams album. But now that I think about it, I didn't like this album at first, either. In fact, after a couple initial listens, I basically stuck this on the shelf and forgot about it for several months. Which was a shame, given what I went through to buy it. I had gone down to Southridge mall to buy Christmas gifts. But I don't drive (and Annie had driven our car to St. Louis that weekend anyway), so I had to do all of my shopping via bus and walking. And Milwaukee is not made for that sort of thing. I could have bought this album at a store in the mall, I guess, but I had a coupon for Best Buy, so I went there instead, which is at the opposite end of the 76th street shopping area. Between the mall, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Best Buy, I probably walked a mile or two up and down 76th St. (which doesn't always have sidewalks) in 30 degree weather, and I was sweating like a pig.

Anyway, when I got this home and listened to it, I was very disappointed. It basically sounded like one loud, obnoxious, 45-minute-long song. Around that time, though, I was listening to Virgin Radio on the internet, and they had So Alive in rotation (being the UK, they actually play rock songs on the radio). I grew to like it, and it was some time before I made the connection that it was Ryan Adams (being the radio, they often don't bother to tell you what you're listening to). Eventually, I started listening to the album again, and even started to like it - it served the purpose of loud, cathartic music to wash dishes to. Still, I would often skip tracks, including everything after Anybody Wanna Take Me Home most of the time.

Famously, this album was demanded by the record company after they deemed Love Is Hell not commercial enough. Adams turned in this in its place, and Love Is Hell was released as two EPs. In retrospect, I think it's pretty clear that Love Is Hell should have been the album, and Rock N Roll the EP - except that they should have made it one disc. The following tracklisting I think preserves the glam/punk attitude of the album, while culling it from fourteen mostly mediocre tracks to six relatively strong ones:

This Is It
Wish You Were Here
So Alive
Note to Self: Don't Die
Rock N Roll
Anybody Wanna Take Me Home (the Rock N Roll version, which is superior to the slower Love Is Hell version)