Confessions of a Fanboy

One of the things I discovered in compiling last week’s list of songs I’m thankful for is that when there are so many candidates for a list, it can be hard to narrow it down. Choosing just a few of my favorite Mark Lanegan songs ” a far less daunting task in terms of the raw number of songs to consider ” proved too difficult for me, so I’ve cheated.

Rather than going over each Lanegan, Screaming Trees, and QOTSA record, I’ve allowed iTunes to help me. Here are the 15 Lanegan songs I’ve listened to most often. There are great songs missing from this list and I wouldn’t get carried away with trying to rank these songs in any particular order, but here are 15 songs I really love and a few words about each of them.

• Ramblin Man’|Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell|Ballad of the Broken Seas|2006: I guess I technically lied when I said “When Your Number Isn’t Up” was my most listened to Lanegan song. Ooops. This one comes from the duet record he did with indie princess Isobel Campbell, and it is tremendous. It’s a saucy, dirty cover of an old Hank Williams song. You’ve gotta love the whipcracks!
• When Your Number Isn’t Up|Mark Lanegan|Bubblegum|2004: I can’t think of anything to add to this.
• Untitled Lullaby|Mark Lanegan|Free The West Memphis 3|2000: I referenced Springsteen, “Nebraska,” and feelings of condemnation. This song takes that to a new level. Haunting, very haunting.
• One Hundred Days|Mark Lanegan|Bubblegum|2004: This is the first song I played on my very first attempt at a podcast. Sometimes he comes out from the darkness and reveals a crooner and a balladeer.
• One Way Street|Mark Lanegan|Field Songs|2001: This is the first song from my favorite Lanegan album, Field Songs. It’s pretty typical of his solo work, but it’s fantastic.
• Out Of Nowhere|Mark Lanegan|Bubblegum|2004: This bookends “When Your Number Isn’t Up” on Bubblegum. I love albums that have great openings and closings. Lanegan has been great at that on his solo records and with Screaming Trees.
• Low|Mark Lanegan|Field Songs|2001: It’s a great song, but my favorite part comes at the end. There’s something about the way he asks “Don’t you know about love?” that mesmerizes me.
• Witness|Screaming Trees|Dust|1996: This is a nice, rocking tune from his days with Screaming Trees. His solo work rarely showcases his abilities as a rock singer, so it’s good to revisit his days with the Trees to remember. Dust was their last and finest moment.
• Deus Ibi Est|Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell|Ballad of the Broken Seas|2006: I don’t know what the Latin translation of this song is, but Lanegan’s interplay with Campbell is never less than brilliant.
• Hit The City (feat. PJ Harvey)|Mark Lanegan|Bubblegum|2004: This is another great duet, this time with the incomparable Polly Jean Harvey. Most supergroups suck because the music never becomes more than the sum of its spectacular parts. Pairing two uber-voices like this would seem a recipe for failure; this song proves otherwise.
• Miracle|Mark Lanegan|Field Songs|2001: Technology has allowed songs to grow longer and more complex. That’s a good thing, as many great songs that wouldn’t have been possible in the early days of recording now nourish our souls. “Miracle” proves a great idea can be fully realized in less than two minutes.
• The False Husband|Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell|Ballad of the Broken Seas|2006: I probably wouldn’t have listed this song on my own if I were trying to compile a list of favorites, but this is a great example of how deep that Lanegan/Campbell record was. The arrangement and production on this one is much more ornate
• Sleep With Me|Mark Lanegan|Here Comes That Weird Chill|2003: Here’s a happy little tune; a tortured, lonely soul begging for a dirty shag.
• Halo Of Ashes|Screaming Trees|Dust|1996: Here’s a muddled, anthemic spiritual from the Screaming Trees. Acoustic guitars and sitars, Middle Eastern-tinged electric guitar sounds, a deep, thick bass, and hand percussion are the first sounds to emerge from “Halo of Ashes.” I was hypnotized by the sounds and the groove and Lanegan had yet to utter a syllable from his impossibly cool, once-in-a-generation voice.
• No Easy Action|Mark Lanegan|Field Songs|2001: Five years later, Lanegan was again mining some Middle Eastern sounds.

Filed under: Tags: Mark Lanegan, Screaming Trees, The Concept Album Mix Tape