Ryan Adams

[The Heart Collector]

i wanted to make a thread in honor of Ryan.

Ryan makes tons of albums. They all have a few great songs, a few ok songs, and a few clunkers. He's very prolific.

HOWEVER,

Heartbreaker, his debut, does not have any clunkers. It's one of the greatest albums of the decade. I can't recommend this album enough. It works perfectly as an album, and it works perfectly as a collection of individual songs. It is, for the most part, Ryan singing with soft acoustic guitars in the background. Practically every song in this album is superb. "In My Time Of Need" is devastating. "Oh My Sweet Carolina" is gorgeous. "Come Pick Me Up" will make you understand country. "Damn, Sam (I Love A Woman That Rains)" is beautiful in its simplicity. "Call Me On Your Way Back Home" floors me. "To Be Young" and "Shakedown" are great rockers. I could keep listing them, but every song here is a marvel.

Ryan has a considerably amount of albums. Rock N Roll is, for the most part, a piece of shit. However, the title track is beautiful and you should PIRATE IT. Love Is Hell is tremendous. It has a few weak songs, but the high spots are temendous.

In 2005 he released 3 albums. They weren't all consistent, but there were enough amazing songs in them. Cold Roses is pretty great on its own. Jacksonville City Nights has some truly beautiful songs, like The End, Don't Fail Me Now, Hard Way To Fall. 29, which was the weakest of his 3 albums, had Elizabeth, You Were Born To Play That Part, a tremendous song.

I believe the point is Ryan Adams is one of the best. Of the decade. Check that shit.

[Psychocandy]

I've long been a fan of this guy. I was already a Whiskeytown fan (if you haven't heard any of their albums please do so...if you like solo Ryan you'll like Whiskeytown too). I agree that Heartbreaker is his greatest achievement to date and that his other albums can be a little patchy. But even his lesser songs have some merit (except of course...as you point out...a lot of the songs on Rock N Roll). He also seems to be trying to do the Bob Dylan/Neil Young/Bruce Springsteen thing of accumulating a vast catalogue of unreleased gems that will no doubt form the basis for a big fuck off box set in ten or twenty years time. Some of his unreleased albums are almost as good as Heartbreaker. In particular I would recommend 48 Hours. There are some magnificent moment to be found on that album.

[Sigur509]

I love Cold Roses and Love is Hell.

Meadowlake Street gets me everytime.

[echo_bravo]

The man is a genius. I really want to see him live sometime.

[The Heart Collector]

i was high out of my fucking mind when i posted this.

[Superplasmatron]

i wish i was high


I saw a dvd of him in jamaca

they asked him how it was there he said

"the meat is intence"

i pissed myself laughing

not only that but he was wearing a oversized leather dreadlocks cap, one for hiding locks in not one with fake dreads, that would be just too funny.

[Romero's Dead]

He's my favorite artist of this decade.

I can't even begin to tell how important Heartbreaker is to me. It's one of the few albums, if not the most, that has truly connected with me.

In my opinion, he's the finest songwriter of this decade.