And your ears shall hear…

Music is so relative to everything that is going on in your life, especially to the time you are listening to it.  I don’t mean the number that the big hand is pointing to either.  What I am trying to say, is that sometimes you will hear a record and think, “it’s ok, I’m not really feeling it.”  Then maybe a year later you hear the same record and think, “God, why didn’t I get into this, it’s great!”  Maybe I am maturing, but I also feel like music has to do with moods.  Sometimes your feeling punk rock or “Pumkin-ish (Smashing that is…),” and you might hear something a little more mellow and find it harder to get into.  And sometimes it’s the reverse; you might be listening to the Smiths or the Trash Can Sinatras, and then you get the new A3  album “Agony and Irony,”, and feel like you’ve outgrown it.  This is the case with Rob Dickinson’s “Fresh Wine For The Horses” CD that I finally found in the cut outs recently.  By the way, it had never been played, wasn’t a promo, and was in like new shape!  I was so pumped!  When this LP initially came out back in ’05 I was really looking for Rob to rock it out like he did in the Catherine Wheel.  I got this LP and it seemed sort of soft to me, and it just didn’t feel right at the time.  Maybe because I was expecting something else, since the Catherine Wheel always brought that edgier sound, or because I was into  harder rock at the time.  Whatever the situation was I just never got into.  To seal the deal, somebody burned it and never returned it to me.  I kind of wrote it off after that, thinking it wasn’t worth the purchase again, but good things come to those who wait.  Now, four years later I get a brand new copy, and I feel like it’s a brand new release; it sounds great!  Rob’s voice is in fine form, and there are a handful of good tunes on here.  I always liked “My Name Is Love,” and now I’m starting to love “Bathe Away!”  It’s a good LP, but maybe it always was.  Maybe I needed more time with it, before it was snatched from the clutches of my writhing hands; and I soured on it.  Anyways “Fresh Wine For The Horses” is good, and it’s worth another listen if you missed it.  Whether you spend $1 or $10 on the music, it is worth picking up.  Also of note, in 08′ Rob re- released this with a 2-CD set, with acoustic tracks that were written back in his Catherine Wheel days. If you’re a ‘Wheel fan you will remember and love all of these tunes.  I would love to get my hands on a copy of this.

Rob Dickinson “My Name Is Love” (Live in Chicago 6-21-09)