John Prine – Lost Dogs And Mixed Blessings Deluxe Edition

What does it sound like?:

In an interview with The Huffington Post, Bob Dylan said, “Prine’s stuff is pure Proustian existentialism; Midwestern mind trips to the nth degree.” He may have a point. Proust’s concept explores the relationship between memory, self-identity and the passage of time, suggesting that our understanding of who we are depends largely on flimsy, inaccurate, subjective memories. Prine was modest, with a self-deprecating sense of humour. His band was faithful, his voice quiet and his songs simple, based on basic chords and an acoustic sound. He was never going to be big. He found wisdom and heartbreak in the everyday mundane, noticing and remembering profound moments that are most often ignored. His calm, measured approach is captivating and his carefully chosen words hang heavy, both on his shoulders and in our hearts. He was a man whose character was built from the small details that really matter.

Lost Dogs And Mixed Blessings is a follow up, of sorts, to a Grammy winning comeback (after a five year spell away from the studio). It’s an attempt to cash in on the attention to secure some radio play and more sales. The production values are upped a notch. There are more musicians than usual, adding up to a semblance of a rock group. He acquires a collection of backing singers and collaborates with a songwriting partner. Waddy Watchel’s guitar adds a hard edge to some tracks but the mood is softened by Benmont Tench’s sensitive piano. Ten different voices add backing at various points, including Marianne Faithfull’s. Seven contribute percussion. Producer, Howie Epstein, tacitly accepted that some songs verged on Soft Rock by describing Big Fat Love, a love song to Prine’s newborn, as an Aerosmith number. Normally, Prine endured life with half a smile but many of these songs sound happy, reflecting his personal contentment as a father in a relationship with his third wife. At least five of the fourteen songs provide different perspectives on loving, two of which are sweetly romantic and a third is committed to a lifetime. The opener, New Train, glows with the positivity of a fresh start. As a result, some established fans and critics didn’t take to the full sound and the easy-going tone. Leave The Lights On got an especially vigorous kicking because the words are mangled to fit the meter, but it’s a joyful skip of a song whose tongue is firmly in its cheek and is meant to be simple fun.

Nevertheless, overall, it’s the same old Prine, being himself, proceeding at a steady pace, strumming his guitar, presenting his skewed world view to anyone who’ll listen. Ain’t Hurting Nobody is a count-your-blessings song to be whistled when going for a walk but with dark undercurrents. Day Is Done is a plea for laissez faire by cheating lovers. Humidity Built The Snowman confronts mortality and the ephemoral nature of life. Quit Hollerin’ At Me forcibly rejects consumerism and We Are The Lonely declares solidarity with the forgotten and ignored. The album’s centrepiece is the song Dylan picked out as his favourite, Lake Marie, intertwining the abandonment of infants, a landscape of breathtaking beauty, the disintegration of a marriage, and a double grizzly murder. Prine leads us through all the elements of the song, carefully picking out certain words, or just syllables, for particular emphasis to make it easier to follow.

Lost Dogs is an album created for CD and this is the first time it has been made available on vinyl. Prine had more to say than usual, including 14 songs, collectively lasting nearly an hour, though one is a cover. This “deluxe” edition adds five tracks, pushing it to an hour and a half with four demos and an outtake. Hey Ah Nothin’ seems to have been left off for no tangible reason, as it’s a typical Prine song of hidden depths delivered with a shrug of the shoulders. Nevertheless, Lost Dogs And Mixed Blessings could have done with a little pruning back in 1995 and though these additions are harmless enough, they do it few favours. At least we are spared the excesses of a box set with a Blu-Ray and surroundsound.

The cartoon cover, depicting an angel and a devil having a knees up on the porch of a shack near a cemetery, has been updated with the words “deluxe edition”. Sadly, John Callahan, is no longer with us and the additional font is too neat for his style. He became quadriplegic when he was a passenger in a drunk driving incident aged 21. He could draw after he recovered some upper body function by using both hands together but his lines were irregular. It’s Prine’s most iconic cover art.

What does it all *mean*?

John Prine is a fascinating artist far less well known than he deserves to be and this is as fine an album as any in his discography, the last studio album before a serious neck cancer diagnosis that affected his tongue and singing. The radio-friendly production makes it one of his most accessible. The quality of the songs is not compromised. Lost Dogs And Mixed Blessings is probably the best entry point for a Prine newbie.

Goes well with…

A wry outlook on life.

Release Date:

12/09/2025

Might suit people who like…

Quality songwriting

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