Any Major Morning Vol. 3
Over 11 years ago I posted the first Any Major Morning mix, and ten years ago Any Major Morning Vol. 2. In all that time, both collections have remained firm favourites, reliable old friends to which I return when I don’t quite know what to play.
I reposted both in 2023, with a view of that preparing the way for a third volume. Things kept getting in the way, but here it finally is. And I think it’s as good as the first two.
Five or six of the present tracks didn’t exist yet when the first two volumes came out. One of them is Willie Nelson’s 2017 song Still Not Dead. It begins: “I woke up still not dead again today. The Internet said I had passed away. If I died I wasn’t dead to stay… and I woke up still not dead again today.” May there be many such mornings for Willie yet.
Sadly gone already is the wonderful Justin Townes Earle. The featured track is from his final album, 2019’s The Saint Of Lost Causes. It serves to remind us what a fine talent we lost on that August 20, 2020. A week short of exactly a year later, Nanci Griffith died at the more reasonable (but still too young) age of 68. It is by pure coincidence that the featured Nanci Griffith track follows that by Justin.
The penultimate track is by Kurt Vile, whose name sounds like a made-up punk name, to go with Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious. It is actually his real name, which I imagine can’t always have been easy. According to Wikipedia, he cites Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young as influences. Other than Young, all have been the subjects of Any Major Songbooks (the names link to those collections).
One Songbook alumni features here twice: Carole King. She first appears with her lovely Morning Sun, from 1978’s Welcome Home album. She returns a few tracks later as the writer of Laura Yager’s Early Morning Hush, released in 1972 (and covered a year later by BJ Thomas). Singer-songwriter Yager is rather forgotten now, despite having released three albums and five singles between 1971-74.
King appears as a backing vocalist on four tracks on James Taylor’s One Man Dog album of 1972, but not on his version of the traditional song One Morning In May. The backing vocals on that recording are by Linda Ronstadt.
I have a shortlist of more great morning songs, so a Volume 4 is inevitable. And it will not take ten years to run it!
As always, the mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R and includes home-cornflaked covers. PW in comments.
1. John Wesley Harding – Good Morning (I Just Woke Up) (1997)
2. Leo Kottke – Jack Gets Up (1989)
3. Carole King – Morning Sun (1978)
4. Joni Mitchell – Morning Morgantown (1970)
5. James Taylor – One Morning In May (1972)
6. Laura Yager – Early Morning Hush (1972)
7. Carolyn Franklin – Don’t Wake Me Up In The Morning, Michael (1970)
8. Diana Ross – Touch Me In The Morning (1973)
9. Roberta Flack – ‘Till The Morning Comes (1982)
10. Luther Vandross & Patti Austin – I’m Gonna Miss You In The Morning (1978)
11. The Winans & Anita Baker – Ain’t No Need To Worry (1986)
12. PJ Morton feat. Susan Carol – Good Morning (2023)
13. Hush Kids – Morning Is Made (2019)
14. Ron Sexsmith – The Morning Light (2013)
15. Justin Townes Earle – Mornings In Memphis (2019)
16. Nanci Griffith – Just Another Morning Here (2012)
17. Willie Nelson – Still Not Dead (2017)
18. Tift Merritt – Morning Is My Destination (2008)
19. Bruce Springsteen – Empty Sky (2002)
20. Bright Eyes – I Woke Up With This Song In My Head This Morning (2004)
21. Kurt Vile – Pretty Pimpin’ (2015)
22. The Pogues – Misty Morning, Albert Bridge (1989)
PW= amdwhah
I love the diversity and depth of your musical findings. I thought Kurt Vile was spoofing Kurt Weille’s name. I was surprised to hear that was his given name.
The Suburbs song shared here features Chan Poling on vocals; for a sample of Beej Chaney’s voice, I recommend “Perfect Communist” from the same “Love is the Law” album, or “Drinking With an Angel” from the excellent “Credit in Heaven” LP.
Thanks for the info and recommendation.
Your comment unfortunately ended up in the Any Major Morning Vol. 3 post, not, as intended, in the In Memoriam – January 2025 comments.
Another great collection! For your consideration, re. Volume 4: Red Rubber Ball by The Cyrkle w/ chorus of “The Mornin’ Sun is Shinin’ like a red rubber ball” (1966). Thanks again for what you do!