Alphabet Soup Week 05: Artists Filed Under C

A song chronicling the survivors of a post-nuclear apocalypse; a lyrical introduction to Greek mythology; a band that peaked with its debut album. All that and more on this week's installment!

Welcome to Week 5 of Alphabet Soup, thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy this week’s installment!

Now that we’re 50 tracks into the year, I thought it would be fun (data and numbers nerd that I am) to see the distribution by year of the tracks that have made their way into Alphabet Soup so far (note: clearly these are original release dates of each album, not the date of CD release as CDs didn’t really hit the mainstream until the early to mid 80s). It turns out that 80% of the tracks are on albums released between 1990 and 2005, with 44% released in the five years between 1995 and 2000, none of which is surprising given my history.

In the final months of my active drinking and drugging, as I entered the desperate downward spiral that resulted in me hitting my rock bottom, I found myself selling and/or bartering my CD collection to fuel my addictions. By the time I got sober in the summer of 1994 I was probably down to a handful of CDs that I just couldn’t bring myself to part with no matter how low I got (the self-titled 1986 debut by The Lover Speaks and Men at Work’s debut album Business as Usual are two that survived).

After multiple consecutive years of failing grades (hard to succeed when you don’t go to class or do your coursework), I was invited by my university to take a break from my studies. During the 15 months I spent working in the back office at a local bank before returning to university to finish out my degree, I began the process of digging myself out of a financial hole, a process which would end up taking the better part of a decade to achieve. But I also found myself with some spending cash which I eagerly turned to “investing” in music again. By the time I parted with my collection sometime in the early 2010s, I’d managed to amass 2,500 or so CDs, most of which would have been purchased in the decade between 1995 and 2005.

I plan to revisit this distribution by release date several times over the course of the year and will report back. Until then, let’s get into this week’s batch of tasty tunes!

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ALPHABET SOUP WEEK 05: Artists Filed Under C

ARTIST: Chevelle

TRACK: "The Red" from Wonder What's Next (2002)

Not to be confused with the Australian power pop band The Chevelles, Chevelle is a rock band formed in Illinois in 1995. The Red is the fifth track and lead single from Chevelle’s major label debut Wonder What’s Next released in 2002. I remember this album being on heavy rotation for me during a period in which I was increasingly finding myself drawn to “harder” music than had previously been typical of my tastes. I stayed on the Chevelle train through their first four albums but lost touch with them after 2007’s Vena Sera.

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ARTIST: Crossfade

TRACK: "The Deep End" from Crossfade (2004)

After starting out as The Nothing in 1991, with two records released under that moniker (1994’s The Nothing and 1998’s Numb), and following a brief period as Sugardaddy Superstar, the band settled on the name Crossfade in 2002 and released their self-titled debut in 2004. Their first single, Cold, was by far the biggest hit from the album, reaching #81 on Billboard’s Hot 100, #3 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and #2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. While it is a great song, The Deep End has always been my favorite track, with this stunner of an opening verse:

“I built my life like my bike on a rigid frame

Nothing bends, it only breaks into pieces and pieces

I waited for hope to arrive, but it never came

Leaving me with only pain inside

I’m going off the deep end”

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ARTIST: Cracker

TRACK: "Low" from Kerosene Hat (1993)

I’m not sure exactly how or when I came to Cracker, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it was on the back of the soundtrack to Empire Records, released in 1995, which included the non-album track Whole Lotta Trouble. In any event, I recall Kerosene Hat being a one-and-done sort of album for me as I rarely listened beyond this track which opens the album. While Get Off This and Euro-Trash Girl had modest success, Low was the big hit from the album, reaching #64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaking at #3 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart.

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As you make your way through this week’s playlist, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do any of these tracks really stand out for you? What do you like? What don’t you like?

Please click the button below to leave a comment.

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ARTIST: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

TRACK: "Wooden Ships" from So Far (1974)

So Far, the 1974 compilation album from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, pulls together a handful of tracks from each of their first two studio albums (1969’s Crosby, Stills & Nash and 1970’s Déjà Vu) along with a couple non-album tracks. Wooden Ships, which paints a picture of a post-apocalyptic world in the wake of nuclear conflagration, may well rank as one of my top 100 songs of all time (I’ve never been foolhardy enough to even contemplate the creation of such a list).

In an effort to build some sort of connection with my dad during my first attempt at recovery in the summer of 1993, I played this track in the car during a road trip in the UK when we were over visiting family. I was hoping he would appreciate the amazing songwriting and would share my love of the music and the lyrics. At the end of the song he asked, “are the purple berries drugs?” (they’re actually just purple berries being shared by the survivors to stay alive); suffice to say there was no connection forged on that day.

Thankfully I got sober the following summer and did manage to repair the relationship with my parents that I’d spent the better part of the prior decade destroying. Thank god for their unconditional love and willingness to forgive.

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ARTIST: Collective Soul

TRACK: "The World I Know" from Collective Soul (1995)

Looking back to the mid 90s, I’d say I was a fairly casual fan of Collective Soul, particularly enjoying their 1993 debut Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid and 1995’s Collective Soul (also known as the Blue Album to differentiate it from a second self-titled release in 2004). My recollection from those days is that, for whatever reason, the band attracted an awful lot of angst and scorn within my circle of friends. I googled “Collective Soul the band people love to hate” to see whether that was a widespread opinion and the second article returned was an AV Club interview with Kevine Devine, a musician I’ve never heard of (which means absolutely nothing btw; it’s not a diss), discussing his hatred for the band and their song December:

“It always felt to me like that band was a prime example of wolf in sheep’s clothing—or sheep in wolf’s clothing is maybe more appropriate. They were sort of capitalizing on that grunge, alternative-rock boom, but they were an adult-contemporary band. Even the guitars on the songs are not like anything anyone would ever confuse as menacing or anything like that.”

That’s exactly the feeling I had in mind as I remember the way certain friends (whose names I can’t even recall 30 years later; make of that what you will) would rail against the band. I’m not sure whether or not I even defended my taste in music, quite possibly not given where my confidence was in those days, but it’s exactly the sort of musical gatekeeper attitude that can still manage to get under my skin nowadays. Thankfully that attitude doesn’t seem to be near as prevalent as it was 10, 20, or 30 years ago.

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ARTIST: Cream

TRACK: "Tales of Brave Ulysses" from The Very Best of Cream (1995)

Outside of some of their bigger hits like White Room, Sunshine of Your Love, and Strange Brew, I’ve never considered myself a big Cream fan. Sometime in the late 90s I expanded my knowledge of the band with the purchase of their 1995 compilation The Very Best of Cream. While the album didn’t turn me into that much more of a fan, it did introduce me to what may be my favorite song of theirs, Tales of Brave Ulysses, which was originally released as the B-side to the single Strange Brew. The song tells the story of Odysseus, a key figure from Greek mythology. A hero of the Trojan War and of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, his story was also reimagined by James Joyce in his novel Ulysses. In his review of the Strange Brew single, Derek Johnson, writing for NME, had this to say about the flipside: “A complex enigmatic lyric combines with a pounding walloping beat. Bit more psychedelic than the topside, but not nauseatingly so. Very interesting item.”

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ARTIST: Candlebox

TRACK: "Cover Me" from Candlebox (1993)

In the vein of Collective Soul, this tends to be a love/hate kinda band for many people. I probably sit somewhere in the middle and, to be honest, most of the album has always been a bit meh for me. While Far Away was overplayed to death and the “maybe yay yay maybe” of the chorus is grating to my ear, I’ve always been a fan of Cover Me, despite the song having more than its fair share of the screaming “yeah yeah yeahs”, which for some strange reason, in this instance, doesn’t seem to offend my musical sensibilities.

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ARTIST: Counting Crows

TRACK: "Perfect Blue Buildings" from August and Everything After (1993)

In what was a near-perfect debut album Counting Crows set a musical bar with 1993’s August and Everything After that they’d never again come close to achieving. For me this album tops any list of bands who peaked with their debut album. It’s hard to name a favorite track from this album and I literally could have gone with any song with the exception of Mr. Jones (overplayed to death). This is one of those albums that, no matter how long it’s been since I last listened, as soon as it begins playing, I know and can sing along with every song word for word. While not a desert island disc for me, it remains a much-loved classic.

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ARTIST: Cowboy Junkies

TRACK: "Speaking Confidentially" from Lay It Down (1996)

Cowboy Junkies’ sixth studio album Lay It Down was one of the musical mainstays of the last couple years I spent in Halifax as I wrapped up my degree after getting sober. It never ceases to amaze me, the power of music to immediately transfer me to an incredibly specific time and place. In the case of this album, it’s my studio apartment in the Somerset Place Apartments on South Park Street in Halifax, chomping down on a donair sub from Peter’s Pizzeria around the corner on Inglis Street (okay Mark stop drooling!)

Last year Cowboy Junkies released Such Ferocious Beauty, their 21st studio album, a devastatingly beautiful album that made it onto my AOTY list, coming in at #17 (you can read the 30 to 16 installment of my AOTY series here).

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ARTIST: Cat Power

TRACK: "Metal Heart" from Late Night Tales: Air (2006)

Although I’d previously heard her track I Found a Reason in the 2005 film V For Vendetta, I’m almost positive that the release of Late Night Tales: Air is how and when I first put a name to the angelic voice of Chan Marshall, who records as Cat Power. It wasn’t long before I stocked my CD shelves with half a dozen of her releases including Moon Pix on which this track appears. I’ve followed her career ever since and her album Covers ranked #13 on my 2022 AOTY List.

The French band’s installment, the 15th in this amazing and long-running (50+ installments since 2001) artist-curated compilation series, was a revelation. The playlist itself is filled with incredible music and is sequenced perfectly. But perhaps the greatest musical gifts came in the form of introductions to Lee Hazlewood (track: My Autumn’s Done Come) and Scott Walker (track: The Old Man’s Back Again).

Hazlewood’s double disc compilation These Boots Are Made For Walkin'; The Complete MGM Recordings became an instant classic for me and is a fantastic listen from start to finish. And the pièce de résistance, Walker’s Scott 4, holds pride of place as one of my eight desert island discs. I can guarantee you’ll be hearing from these two gentlemen over the course of the year!

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Life in the key of C: Consistency

If you’ve been following the series, you know I’ve had a bit of a challenging start to the year. But thankfully, things are improving, and that’s really down to one thing: consistency. The consistent application of a handful of spiritual and physical practices on a daily/weekly basis has provided the strength to put one foot in front of the other and walk through the darkness and back into the Light.

Consistently showing up for myself in my morning ritual of meditation, prayer and journaling; consistently engaging in my evening stretching routine; consistently aiming for (although not always achieving) my 20 miles of weekly walking; and consistently staying plugged into my recovery community. All of these provide the mental and emotional scaffolding integral to my ability to weather any sort of storm that life sends my way.

But perhaps the most important application of consistency has been my effort to remain kind and gentle with myself, to meet myself where I am, and to recognize that my “best” will look different every day. As someone who spent the better part of two decades beating the crap out of himself, the consistent effort to practice self-forgiveness and self-compassion has become a hidden superpower.

Give it a try in your own life - you may be surprised by the results!

That’s a wrap on this week’s entry! Thanks, as always, for being here.

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Here’s the running playlist which will be updated on a weekly basis as each new installment is published.

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Thank you for reading Joy in the Journey, I appreciate you being here! If there’s someone in your life you think may enjoy this post, feel free to share it.