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Ryan Adams – he is churning them out

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Romeo and Juliet, a double album released in April a month after the album Chris, which is part of a trilogy.
He is now persona non grata, not even sure he has a record label but that that hasn’t slowed, maybe it has stimulated, his productivity.
I am not a devotee,I’ve got a few records, seen hom a couple of times but to these ears R & J is a good one. Sounds great, plenty of presence despite it being an eclectic selection of tracks from different periods.
He aint dead. It is worth a listen

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Comments

  1. Problem with RA is he has no quality control and seems to just shove any old shit out.

    Stopped buying his albums around the time of that Cardinals one about 10 years back.

    Did go and see him in Dublin in 2016 or 2017 and he was shockingly bad. Just full on
    rawk number after full on rawk number.

    Sturgill Simpson had sadly gone the same way when I saw him just before the first lockdown.
    Glad that wasn’t the last gig I got to go and see

  3. I agree that most of his albums have at least one or two pearlers. That said, I think I’m ‘full’ of Ryan Adams – I have enough CDs to pick one if I feel like putting it on and there are new acts who command my attention and money more these days. And yes, the many stories of his knob-like behaviour don’t help.

    I saw him many years ago on the second of two nights at Brixton Academy. First night he’d played two hours, guest spots, the lot. The one I saw started brilliantly, then he took umbrage at something, played a ten minute rambling version of ‘Tina Toledo…’ and buggered off after just over an hour. I got a ticket to the next tour and he fell off the stage in Liverpool (IIRC) and the tour was cancelled. Guess it beats going to see processed-cheese acts who play the same set every night and are in bed with the cocoa at 11.

  4. I am not so sure he is still a knob. He is now off the sauce and his instagram messages are very contrite.
    His setlists nowadays seem to be around the 30 song mark and varied every night. There is no doubt he is a talent and if he reforms without losing his edge then we will all benefit.
    By the way ‘persona non grata’ is what his ex might like him to be. He sold out the Carnegie Hall so thankfully there are those out there who are prepared to forgive.

      • No Junior I suspect you are right. I think he is trying to re-establish himself but it is hard when he has been found guilty without trial. I read his biography before all of this recent stuff and it is clear he was a flawed character with a serious drink problem. However he is trying to rehabilitate and if it means we see a return of his earlier form I would be really happy because he has been pretty good over the years.

        • You read his Instgram (whatever that is) messages @SteveT, `kin hell you`ll be searching through his bin next!

          I had all his albums up to and including Cardinology, I then realised others did it much better. I only have Heartbreaker & Gold now, gave the rest to the charity shop.

          • I like Ryan Adams and have all his CDs, but much prefer Ed him in Whiskeytown and up to Gold. I saw Whiskeytown at the Borderline and they were ace. The great sight of Caitlin Cary playing the fiddle and singing backing vocals with a bottle of bud and a fag in her hand. Then I saw Adams do a solo show there, that I don’t remember having a particularly big audience. Then the next time I saw him I had to go to Shepherds Bush Empire or Hammersmith Apollo, somewhere in that direction, and it just wasn’t the same.

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