Spotify lets you access stuff that had previously been hidden from you. This was the way I found my way to John Prine. He's one of those artists you've heard about for years without ever actually getting round to listening to them. I've remedied that now.Much admired by his contemporaries, Dylan no less said, 'Prine's stuff is pure existentialism. Midwestern trips to the nth degree. And he writes beautiful songs.'
So here are a few from his first two albums in the early seventies. His records are all weary, smalltown experience. Very, very American. Observational and felt. He writes about small flawed lives in a way that isn't a million miles away from great American writers. Raymond Carver comes to mind. Older stuff too. John Steinbeck. Whole lives are catalogued and with them the broader, shared American experience, in beautifully crafted and detailed, three and four minute songs.
Some of the tracks I've posted here seem to feature variations on Big Star's Thirteen's guitar figure but the sentiments of the songs couldn't be further away from Big Star's pure rush of youth. Prine is middle aged before his time or perhaps older still, these are songs that seem to come from a Midwest porch, wistful, winding and slow. Funny too in a sad, wry way.I get the feeling that Nick Hornby would like it. He's into this kind of stuff. If so, I'm with him here. I've just put up four songs but it was difficult choosing as his first two albums alone are so rich and consistent and there's plenty more to be explored.
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