Caught somewhere between ’emThirty years of rarities and outtakes from Dark Angel

ill my sins outlive me? With a gun at my head, I wasforced to bless this rarities project, Museum of Memories. The money will go to

keep the website rolling and will also keep those gig cards coming out to you.This is not the “next” Tom Russell album of new material. I hope to recordthat one in December and have it out by April of next year—working title:Unredeemed or What I Did After I Was Released From the Asylum. Ormaybe just Tales of Ordinary Madness.

Thanks to Ed Becker and John Yuelkenbeck for hanging in there and putting this together. I am not a good critic of my own stuff. I am always thinking up the next record, rhyme, and story. I hope it entertainsyou—thanks for helping keep the website alive. See you down the road.

I S S U E N O . 8 F A L L 2 0 0 2

El Paso, 8/02

H E R E ’ S M U D I N Y O U R E Y E F R O M T O M R U S S E L L & C O .

W

It’s the best disc Tom Russell neverreleased! A limited edition compilation of incredible songs, all appearing for thefirst time on CD, most for the first timeanywhere. Possibly even a bonus track!Not sold in stores. Offered exclusivelythrough us here at Dark Angel whilesupplies last. Destined to be the holidaygift this year.

From Tom’s early band Mule Train,the (Patricia) Hardin & Russell years, theTom Russell Band, and on through to anew song recorded live on his currenttour—it’s all here.We asked Tom to jotsome track-by-track notes for us:

1972 – Strung Out (Like TheTightest Wire On A Frozen BarbedWire Fence). One of the first songs Iwrote as a member of “Skid Row’s FinestBand,” Mule Train, in Vancouver, B.C. Itowes a little to Commander Cody’s style,and to my working six sets a night in atopless bar on skid row. Financed by awell known “porn king” and put on 500 ofhis jukeboxes. Promptly removed byMothers Against Drugs and DrunkDriving. So the 500 copies rotted in aChinese warehouse. Until now. Enjoy.

1974 – Shipwreck Kelly. From oneof Patricia Hardin and my demos in 1974.Don MacPherson, my old friend anddrummer, is on both these first two tracks.I had moved to Austin by this time, but wedrove back to Vancouver to record this onsome grant money. Alvin ‘Shipwreck’Kelly was a flagpole sitter in the 1920s.

1981 – Cross of Guadalupe. I haveno idea what this song is about, except thatit’s an early attempt at a drug runningballad. What is notable is that its from alive Lone Star Cafe show in NYC, openingfor Robert Hunter, the Grateful Deadlyricist I had picked up in a cab. I sang

him “Gallo del Cielo” in my cab at 4 A.M.and he hired us to open shows. This wasAndrew Hardin’s and my first live gigtogether. He’s playing the tiple, a SouthAmerican instrument. I recall consumingquite a bit of Jack Daniels to bolster mycourage since I had not performed in twoyears. Andrew was worried.

1985 – La Galué (The Glutton). Thetrue, sordid life of Moulin Rouge dancerLa Galué who appears in one of Toulouse-Lautrec’s paintings. All the facts are true.Don’t try any of this at home. I was hopingfor a Serge Gainsbourg cover or perhapsCharles Aznavour.

1986 – Shut Out the Light. RareSpringsteen cover. There was one line Icould not understand, so I blurted outsomething like “a John Deere Minorstands.” Whatever that means.

1987 – Can’t Keep No Liquor.Sounds like an attempt to write like JohnPrine. I only sang it once live. I guess Iwas feeling guilty that I usually drank upall the wine and vodka around the“Bunker,” my storefront in Brooklyn.Early alt country.

1988 – Chinatown in the Rain. Iwrote “Hurricane Season” and this songone night quite blasted on vodka. I sang itinto a old four-track machine. Sounds likeFats Kaplin on the accordion. Influencedby an earlier trip to the Yucatan in Mexicowhere we ran into a lot of “JackieSpragues,” gringos who had disappearedinto the jungle years ago—living off theirwits or their inheritances. Graham Greencharacters. The lawless roads!

1988 – Amelia’s Railroad Flat. KatyMoffatt still opens her sets with this one.Can’t recall writing it. Influenced bycheap wine and beautiful women in longago countries of the heart.

1989 – Mineral Wells. Love that townand the old Baker Hotel. The Baker hasbeen boarded up, but the Crazy Water isan old age home. You can have the hotel forfree if you put in a sprinkler system. Sangit with Katy on Long Way Around. I wrote a screenplay treatment of this withSylvia Tyson.

1990 – The Heart. Written withGreg Trooper. Has been recorded bySarah Elizabeth Campbell and LucyKaplanski. I sang this with Greg inIreland this year. Not a bad song.

1991 – Big Fool. Written with KatyMoffatt, she’s singing harmony. Probablyin Switzerland on one of those long, wine-filled evenings in Buchs—before Cunohung himself in our mountaintop hotel.Damn, Cuno, your took it all too seriously.

1993 – 10 Cent Lemonade. Wrotethis with a Nashville writer, Alan Rhody.Trying to write something commercial.

1993 – Biggest Bordertown.Written with Dylan’s old protégé BobbyNeuwirth. He told me anyone couldsurvive New York if they understood itwas just a big ole bordertown. Under-standing New York prepared me forJuarez.

1995 – Roddy McCorley. Dredgedup for St. Paddy’s day in St. Louis. I firstheard this old IRA song done by theKingston Trio and Clancy Brothers.

1995 – Hank and Audrey. AnotherKaty Moffatt co-write. Written for GeorgeJones and Tammy Wynette. No sale.

1996 – Closin’ Sunny’s Diner.Written about the place where I used toeat breakfast in Brooklyn. Sunny had hishand blown off in the war. Ebbets Fieldwas torn down long ago. I was in L.A.when the Dodgers came to town. A few

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of them used to play poker with my Dad. I have an autographed ball of the Dodgerteam in 1959. Duke Snider, Sandy Koufax,and crew.

1999 – When Irish Girls Grow Upfrom The Man From God Knows Where.I’d like to do the whole album as a one-manshow.

2000 – Open Pit Mine. Outtake fromBorderland. Old song on a early GeorgeJones record. Murder ballad. My brotherlikes it.

2002 – The Dogs Bark But TheCaravan Moves On. A new song. I believeI heard Truman Capote use this oldMoroccan saying. This is from a show thisyear in Denver. I thought I’d put this on thenext album, but it’s become a one-trickpony. The coyote-ugly lines don’t grow onme. Feel free to use the line next time yourrelationship goes south.

We have to stop Tom there before hegives away the bonus track. Museum ofMemories 1972–2002 is a twenty track audio CD (not CD-R), running as close toa full 80 minutes as you can get. Packagedin an oversized, 5-color, multipanel wrapwith liner notes and collector’s cards.

The Dark Angel label is distributed by the merchandising team of Bill andCorky at Village Records. For the best innew and used music, be sure to check outvillagerecords.com or call (913) 631-4199between 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M., CST.

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Scheduled Release: October 1, 2002