Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself: Essays on Debut Albums

271 Pages·2013·2.17 MB·English

by  George Plasketes

Please Allow Me to Introduce
Myself: Essays on Debut Albums
Edited by
George Plasketes
Please allow Me to Introduce
Myself: essays on debut albuMs
for Julie, Anaïs, and Rivers
my First Glimmers
my Lasting Lights
Sparkle and Shine
Please allow Me to Introduce
Myself: essays on debut albums
Edited by
GeorGe Plasketes
Auburn University, Alabama, USA
© George Plasketes 2013
all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
George Plasketes has asserted his right under the copyright, designs and Patents act, 1988,
to be identified as the editor of this work.
Published by
ashgate Publishing limited ashgate Publishing company
wey court east 110 cherry street
union road suite 3-1
farnham burlington, Vt 05401-3818
surrey, Gu9 7Pt usa
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www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Please allow me to introduce myself : essays on debut albums. – (ashgate popular and
folk music series)
1. Popular music – History and criticism. 2. Popular music – discography.
I. series II. Plasketes, George.
782.4’21640266–dc23
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Please allow me to introduce myself : essays on debut albums / edited by George
Plasketes.
pages cm.—(ashgate popular and folk music series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Isbn 978-1-4094-4176-2 (hardcover)—Isbn 978-1-4094-4177-9 (ebook)—
Isbn 978-1-4724-0280-6 (epub) 1. Popular music—united states—History and
criticism. 2. sound recording industry—united states. I. Plasketes, George, editor of
compilation.
Ml3477.1.P54 2013
781.640973—dc23
2012044836
Isbn 9781409441762 (hbk)
Isbn 9781409441779 (ebk – Pdf)
Isbn 9781472402806 (ebk – ePub)
V
Contents
List of Figures ix
Notes on Contributors xi
General Editor’s Preface xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction: The First Cut is the Deepest 1
George Plasketes
1 Lubbock or Leave It: Buddy Holly, Norman Petty, and
The “Chirping” Cricket 19
George H. Lewis
2 Good Time Rollers: Little Richard and Huey “Piano” Smith 29
B. Lee Cooper and William L. Schurk
3 Joan Baez: The Classic 1960s Folk Heroine 35
Jerome Rodnitzky
4 From Roger and Out into Dang Me/Chug A Lug:
Roger Miller’s Debut 41
Don Cusic
5 Midnight in Memphis with the Wicked Pickett 49
B. Lee Cooper
6 Jackson C. Frank: Play the Game of Carnival 53
Edward Whitelock
7 What Time Has Told Me about Nick Drake’s Five Leaves Left 61
Kevin Holm-Hudson
8 The Voice of “the Quiet One”: George Harrison’s All Things
Must Pass 67
Ian Inglis
9 “That’s It”: Willis Alan Ramsey, the Ballad of a Cosmic Cowboy 75
George Plasketes
vi PLEASE ALLOW ME TO INTRODuCE MySELF
10 New york Dolls: “Ridin’ right on the subway train” 85
Thomas M. Kitts
11 Warren Zevon: Asylum IconocLAst 93
George Plasketes
12 “Chasing after vengeance”: Elvis Costello’s Initial Aim 109
David Janssen
13 Alive on Arrival from Meridian to Manhattan: Steve Forbert
as Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and the Next “New Dylan” 117
George Plasketes
14 Ready for the House: Jandek’s Inert Unveiling 129
Nicole Marchesseau
15 Rickie Lee Jones: “Acquired a Cool and Inspired Sorta Jazz” 139
George Plasketes
16 Metallica Kills 149
Deena Weinstein
17 “I know someday you’ll have a beautiful life”: Pearl Jam’s Ten
and the Road to Authenticity 157
Marcello Giovanelli
18 LeAnn Rimes’s Blue: A Country Star in the Making 165
Sarita M. Stewart
19 Third Eye Blind: Reluctantly Voicing the 1990s 173
Joshua D. Hillyer
20 Dap-Dippin’ Independent Tradition: The Rebirth of
Rhythm and Blues 179
Andrew G. Davis
21 Pilfering the Past or Postmodern Punks?: The Libertines’
up the Bracket 189
Micah Rueber
22 Cinematic Fantastic Sampledic Funky Found-Sound Sifting:
The Go! Team’s Thunder, Lightning, Strike 199
George Plasketes and Rivers Plasketes
CONTENTS vii
Appendix A: Debut Album Discography 205
Appendix B: Grammy Award Winners and Nominees 207
Appendix C: “The 100 Greatest Debut Albums” 217
Appendix D: “The 50 Greatest Debut Albums Ever” 221
Appendix E: “The 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time” 223
Appendix F: “The 20 Greatest Debut Albums of All-Time” 227
Appendix G: “The 20 Best and 10 Most Disappointing Debut Albums” 229
Bibliography 231
Index 245
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List of Figures
I.1 Steve Forbert’s quintessential debut album title. Photo by
Danny Fields. Courtesy Steve Forbert. 14
4.1 Smash Records’ Roger and Out album title makeover.
Courtesy Roger Miller, Mercury Records, Universal Music
Group/Nashville. 46
13.1 Steve Forbert’s Alive on Arrival back cover. Photo by
David Gahr. Courtesy Steve Forbert. 118
14.1 Jandek’s Ready for the House cover art: blurred and anonymous.
Courtesy Jandek and Corwood Industries. 131
15.1 Rickie Lee Jones, Saturday Night Live performance, New York
City, April 1979. © Lewton Cole/Alamy. 140
18.1 LeAnn Rimes’s Blue: Teenage talent. Photo by Peter Nash.
Permission from LeAnn Rimes and Curb Records, Nashville. 170