1) "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die"- Johnny Cash, "Folsom Prison Blues"- This is no country for old men. Look at the blood all over his shoes. It's a blood soaked floor in Reno where he feels the most at home. Sing about God all you want Johnny, you already showed us he don't exist. "The Man in Black", "Johnny and June", forget them all because they don't matter...The heart of Johnny Cash is in a pitiless, smiling face, full of pills, in a dying West. Eternal cruelty, eternaly smiling. A smooth, graceful, "bring all your guns to town Bill, at least that'll get us high". Here's "country" for you boys. Don't let it get too familiar, there's nowhere else to go. Oh captain, my captain.
2) "Well she was just seventeen, and you know what I mean"- Paul McCartney, "I Saw Her Standing There"- A throwaway line that can stand forever. Paul worked a God damn frenzy into this one. You're forgiven for all those Wings songs, and that sweater you used to wear with a heart on it.
Before he was always cute and never mean, here was Paul groping in the dark and telling what he'd found. To be young in Liverpool was to be young in Jersey. I'm in love with rock and roll too Paul, God bless groping, you know what I mean.
"If hymns were rock music sung to worship whatever you happened to believe in then it would sound like Zak Smith...These are the thoughts of a man in his mid-twenties. Rather than confounding us with wisdom beyond his years he is being true to himself and singing about what he actually knows and with that comes a certain frankness. Combine that with a soulful but raw voice and guitars that are alive with riffs and energy"-Glasswerk.com album review.
This is singer/songwriter Zak Smith's blog. He writes about music and posts his songs and videos here. Go to Zaksmithlive.com for more information.
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