Jerusalem by Steve Earle--Editorial Reviews (BARF ALERT)(FREEP THEIR RATINGS)

Amazon.Com ^ | Anders Smith Lindall

[Behind Liberal Lines]

On 1997's El Corazón, Steve Earle wished for the return of Woody Guthrie to a world sorely lacking voices of righteous dissent. Here, Earle stops pining for ghosts and gruffly makes his own claim to the agit-folk crown.

The controversial "John Walker's Blues" drew attention to the album and the ire of many who misunderstood it, but it's only one of many topical tunes on a disc that issues a kind of call to arms: over the distorted guitars and garbage-pail drums of "Amerika v. 6.0" and in the spare and creepy satire "Conspiracy Theory," Earle rallies listeners to resist such corrosive cultural forces as consumerism, xenophobia, and apathy.

And as Earle's songs often do, several cuts offer sympathetic portrayals of folks on the margins: a busted Mexican migrant writes a letter home as organ chirps and guitars blaze through "What's a Simple Man to Do?" and in "The Truth," Earle's fuzzed-out drawl depicts life behind bars.

Though nearly every moment of this ambitious album is laden with meaning, there's room enough for simple beauty--like the velvet voice of Emmylou Harris on "I Remember You"--and, more importantly, hope. "I believe there'll come a day," Earle affirms in the closing track, "when the lion and the lamb will lie down in peace together in Jerusalem."

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Definition of irony: Amazon.Com applauds an album that attacks "consumerism."

You might remember this is the album on which Steve Earle compares traitor John Walker Lindh to Jesus and attacks the United States and Israel.

It think it's time to FREEP the reviews over at Amazon.Com.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

FREEP!

[dead]

Short people got no reason to live.

I got to go out and get this CD. Earle's never made a bad one.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Earle's never made a bad one.

Until now.

I'm listening to a download of it. It's far from his best, politics notwithstanding.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

In fact.....

Since Earle is pretty much an admitted socialist I would think he would appreciate that I downloaded the album from WinMx allowing the masses to "enjoy" it without him making a profit.

[dead]

Well, here are the lyrics in question:

John Walker’s Blues

I’m just an American boy – raised on MTV
And I’ve seen all those kids in the soda pop ads
But none of ‘em looked like me
So I started lookin’ around for a light out of the dim
And the first thing I heard that made sense was the word
Of Mohammed, peace be upon him

A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
There is no God but God

If my daddy could see me now – chains around my feet
He don’t understand that sometimes a man
Has to fight for what he believes
And I believe God is great all praise due to him
And if I should die I’ll rise up to the sky
Just like Jesus, peace be upon him

We came to fight the Jihad and our hearts were pure and strong
As death filled the air we all offered up prayers
And prepared for our martyrdom

But Allah had some other plan some secret not revealed
Now they’re draggin’ me back with my head in a sack
To the land of the infidel.

Seems to me, it’s a song written in the first person. The narrator perceives himself as a loser, or at least a loner, and runs off to find somewhere he fits in better.

And, in what I see as the central point of the song, he’s trying to find some way to make an impact on his distant father.

Now they're dragging him back to reality against his will.

I really don’t see what the fuss is all about.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Think about it this way...when Johnny Cash sings "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die" does that mean he actually shot a man. No, the character in the song did the shooting.

Funny you should mention "Folsom Prison Blues."

Actually, it's not. Every psuedo intellectual on NPR trying to defend this song does.

However, the other day, I was listening to the Johnny Cash/Willie Nelson "Storytellers" CD. On it, Cash explains the genesis of that line. He was trying to think of the most heinous, coldblooded thing his "narrator" could have done to end up in prison, to show his narrator DESERVED to be in prison, and came up with that line. Furthermore, the song was an anti-violence song, a cautionary tale, as demonstrated by the fact that the narrator realizes he was wrong and now cries in remorse every time he hears the train go by.

In contrast, Earle has admitted to being highly sympathetic to Walker and it shows in the song. Walker does not express regret over his acts. He does not "hang his head and cry" the way the murderer does in "Folsom Prison Blues." He thinks he's going to heaven.

In short, Earle wrote a pro-Walker song and has admitted he wrote a pro-Walker song.

Stop rationalizing in the face of this reality.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Earle has said himself that he would be a bit peeved if his own son did something like what Walker did.

BIT PEEVED?!?!?!

IF HIS SON WENT OVER TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY, AIDED TERRORISTS, BECAME A TRAITOR AND CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEATH OF AN AMERICAN EARLE WOULD ONLY BE A "BIT PEEVED"??!?!?!

And THAT's you defense that Earle isn't himself a traitorous @$$#OLE?!?!

My god...

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Incidentally, a proper critical review focuses on the craft and artistry of the work and its performance and not whether the reviewer agrees or disagrees with the performer's politics or viewpoints.

Tell that to every book reviewer at the NY Times who gives bad reviews to conservatives' books.

But then I gather you think that Toby Keith song is a work of a creative genius.

No, but neither do I assume that otherwise poorly constructed and poorly sung compositions are "genius" simply because they engage in simplistic Anti-Americanism.

[Lizard_King]

"Are you familiar with the literary device where an author takes on the persona of an outside character? It's called writing in the first person."
I am familiar with it. I don't see anything inherently wrong with doing it. But I am 100% certain that this guy did not make this song as some kind of deep reflection where he displaced himself from who he really is into Walker's head. I look at the rest of his agenda and his ludicrously shallow anarcho-socialist nonsense, and I don't think this was analysis done objectively. Either way, I think the song is just lousy, and the reason it gets such praise from reviewers is that the bulk of critics are left wingers that eat this kind of nonsense up.

A bit peeved, eh? That his son is a murderer, traitor, and brainwashed fanatic? My goodness, that is mighty understanding of him.

This song and album don't mean necessarily that he condones terrorist Islamists and despises the USA. But it certainly suggests it, and I don't see anything wrong with draiwng that rational conclusion.

I am sure there is a perfect world where reviewers write without interjecting their political views, and musicians can reflect on troublesome issues without often siding with the bizarro liberal agenda. You can consider a song both from a musical/artistic standpoint, and from a political standpoint. The difference is the reviewer honest enough to admit which he is doing when he praises a work, which few are.
You can continue, of course, to purchase this kind of music despite its questionable origin. I, for example, really can't purchase the new Pearl Jam album on account of their irritating and stupid political views, that have finally invaded their last album beyond the pale of philosophical rumination into the realm of specific idiocy.

[adam stevens]

But then I gather you think that Toby Keith song is a work of a creative genius.

He is. Toby has more fans than Earle ever had. The smae is true of Johnny Cash. I mean has one of his records been on the radio in the last decade? No.

[adam stevens]

BUMP!

[adam stevens]

Whgat are Pearl Jam's politics?

[Lizard_King]

Track 12 on their latest album, named "Riot Act", is called "Bushleaguer", no doubt a follow up to their Christmas single cover song, "Gimme some truth" (where he rants at length about how GWB is "mommy's little hypocrite" and other such nonsense). Vedder has frequently spiked his concerts with anti-Republican (although never actively pro-Democrat) nonsense. They actively militated for Ralph Nader's absurd campaign, as they felt it accurately represented what they want done to America about, like, saving the Earth or something, man.
For the most part, like on their last album 'Binaural', Pearl Jam focused on the human side of things political, like the tragedy of being a civilian caught in the midst of armed conflict. But now they have crossed the boundary (for me) where I can continue to give them my money to listen to them talk about how America and Bush are terrorists, etc, as they have recently done in their rare underground media quotes.
I suppose about what can be said for their views is that they fortunately include hatred of the media in their many proto-socialist views, and thus are limited in the scope of celebrity jackass things they can say. One thing was a crusade against Ticketmaster; another entirely is a crusade against America and liberty.

[Lizard_King]

So when a socialist puts himself in a terrorist's shows, that's dep reflection, but when an American expresses what he feels as an American, that is "pandering"? I have read a bit about Mr. Keith, and I like his song, however bourgoisie and commonplace and "guilty" it may be to you. Moreover, I am glad he is making a pile of money off of it. Producing something cathartic and good for our then-traumatized nation ought to be rewarded.
On the other hand, I don't see anything courageous about a neo-communist musician repeating Noam Chomskyesque tripe in the environment of modern media, which hails anti-American, anti-human views as bold and innovative every time such artistic abortions occur (which is, oh, let me check, ALL THE DAMN TIME).

[Lizard_King]

meant to say "deep reflection" in the first sentence...sank the ship I guess.

[adam stevens]

No "The Angry American" is a great song that perfectly expresses how all Real Americans felt after September 11. You should give it a listen. It is one of the greatest songs ever from a guy who is probably second only to Garth as the greatest country singer ever.

[adam stevens]

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