Can anyone at Mellencamp.com shine any light on these differences? Specifically why the duet version seems to only be on the cd?

Agreed... without this thread I would not even have known about the Teardrops duet available on the CD only. Any insight would be much appreciated.

I can confirm the Teardrops Will Fall version on my Apple Music is the original version from TNM as well. YouTube music and Amazon music also are from TNM. Decided to go buy a hard copy and was able to enjoy the duet version! I think it’s better than the original. I’m not sure I hear any differences in the other songs though. It’s interesting because Cryptic Rock said To The River, In My Time of Dying, Teardrops Will Fall all included subtle differences. I wonder if Republic Records has any additional info?!?

I’m confused... the version of OPS I bought on iTunes sounds exactly the same as the versions from prior albums... but now I am reading reviews that some of the songs on OPS are remixed/remastered from their prior versions. Am I missing something, are their multiple versions of this album??

Walk tall I always appreciate your insight and knowledge, thank you for the additional information.

I think Republic Records could have done a better job communicating the release details. “For the album, Mellencamp recorded a brand-new version of “Eyes on the Prize” which was originally performed at The White House. Mellencamp was asked by the Obama administration to perform for the 2010 Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement event.“ makes it sound like Eyes on the Prize was just recently recorded. It would also be nice to know why certain previously released covers were included and others were not, maybe there was a specific narrative for this album. I was kind of under the impression certain songs wouldn’t necessarily be direct imports from previous self titled albums but instead unreleased versions of these songs.

It’s still a fine album, five of the songs are nice to have easily accessible! I am not worried about Mellencamps creatively at all, just hoping for some better information for future album releases.

I have no issues with Sad Clowns, the covers and outtakes that were included were fantastic and ones I had not heard before.

Other Peoples Stuff is a very frustrating release. I am fine with cover albums and I am fine with an artist releasing re-arranged/re-interpreted songs they have already recorded. “To The River”, “Teardrops Will Fall”, “In My Time of Dying”, “Mobile Blue”, and “Stones in My Passway” are literally direct imports from prior releases. Why were they included in this set? Was there any sort of reasoning that certain songs were picked and other covers were not? As a fan I am completely confused by the re-release of these five songs.

I don't mind the album including “Gambling Bar Room Blues”, “Dark As A Dungeon", “Wreck of the Old 97”, and “I Don’t Know Why I Love You”... while most die-hard Mellencamp fans have heard these it's nice to have them all easily accessible. And "Eyes on the Prize" is a nice new recording. My guess is Mellencamp's people wanted these 5 songs available but did not know how to do it without releasing an album of 10 songs.

If you look at the press release I can see why fans would be confused: "Culled from seminal albums, compilations, unearthed sessions and documentaries, this record serves as a proud homage to some of the greatest songs in history." What song from this album is from an unearthed session?

I don't believe the well has run dry but this album is an unforced error that could impact sales of future releases.

Just wanted to share some interesting revelations from the fantastic Sad Clowns and Hillbillies album.

I'm seeing the question pop up quite a bit regarding the Grandview recording. The following is from the Indystar...

Something old: “Grandview,” the current single from the album that arrives in stores today, is a sonic time traveler Mellencamp co-wrote with his cousin, Bobby Clark, in the 1990s. An early stab at recording the song featured Indiana native and former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin and drummer Stan Lynch, formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Mellencamp said the "Sad Clowns" version of "Grandview" includes some vocals he recorded in the '90s and some recorded this century. Stradlin's gritty, insistent riffs and Lynch's beats were salvaged for the final version, and country vocalist Martina McBride came on board to portray Mellencamp's foil in the song's home stretch. "It took a long time to build this song," Mellencamp said.

Here's something else interesting. When I heard the song All Night Radio it also sounded to me like an older recording, like maybe something left off the Mr Happy Go Lucky album. It even reminds me of Circling Around the Moon. So today I'm looking at the Wikipedia page for Sad Clowns and Hillbillies and noticed that Toby Meyers and Kenny Arnoff are credited for electric bass and drums on All Talk Night Radio! How cool is that... sounds like we might actually have a Mr Happy Go Lucky outtake on this album. This is pure speculation but plausible. It's definitely one of my favorites for the album.

Also Christie Brinkley is credited for background vocals on My Souls Got Wings and What Kind of Man Am I.

Here's something else interesting. When I heard the song All Night Radio it also sounded to me like an older recording, like maybe something left off the Mr Happy Go Lucky album. It even reminds me of Circling Around the Moon. So today I'm looking at the Wikipedia page for Sad Clowns and Hillbillies and noticed that Toby Meyers and Kenny Arnoff are credited for electric bass and drums on All Talk Night Radio! How cool is that... sounds like we might actually have a Mr Happy Go Lucky outtake on this album. This is pure speculation but plausible. It's definitely one of my favorites for the album.

Also Christie Brinkley is credited for background vocals on My Souls Got Wings and What Kind of Man Am I.

Hi Hoss, I'm seeing the question pop up quite a bit regarding the Grandview recording. I don't believe the moderators have answered this. The following is from the Indystar...

Something old: “Grandview,” the current single from the album that arrives in stores today, is a sonic time traveler Mellencamp co-wrote with his cousin, Bobby Clark, in the 1990s. An early stab at recording the song featured Indiana native and former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin and drummer Stan Lynch, formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Mellencamp said the "Sad Clowns" version of "Grandview" includes some vocals he recorded in the '90s and some recorded this century. Stradlin's gritty, insistent riffs and Lynch's beats were salvaged for the final version, and country vocalist Martina McBride came on board to portray Mellencamp's foil in the song's home stretch. "It took a long time to build this song," Mellencamp said.

Hi Turmbird, I'm seeing the question pop up quite a bit regarding the Grandview recording. I don't believe the moderators have answered this. The following is from the Indystar...

Something old: “Grandview,” the current single from the album that arrives in stores today, is a sonic time traveler Mellencamp co-wrote with his cousin, Bobby Clark, in the 1990s. An early stab at recording the song featured Indiana native and former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin and drummer Stan Lynch, formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Mellencamp said the "Sad Clowns" version of "Grandview" includes some vocals he recorded in the '90s and some recorded this century. Stradlin's gritty, insistent riffs and Lynch's beats were salvaged for the final version, and country vocalist Martina McBride came on board to portray Mellencamp's foil in the song's home stretch. "It took a long time to build this song," Mellencamp said.

Good review of ''Plain Spoken'',  but how can you be a Mellencamp fan, or just a fan of great songwriting in general and not like ''Life, Death, Love & Freedom'', an album already considered by many to be John's masterpiece.

I hear you Kicker, maybe I am a tad harsh on Life Death Love & Freedom. There are some great songs and great songwriting but I just don't like the overall sound of the album (if that makes sense). There was always a part of me that wished the album versions of If I Die Sudden and Troubled Land would sound like the live versions. Also Miriam Sturm only appears on one song from LDLF which is disappointing. It's not a bad album by any means but just does't rank as a favorite for me.

I allowed myself to soak in Plain Spoken for several weeks before sharing my thoughts. I listened to it from start to finish many many times and listened to some of John’s older work as well to compare. I would rate it up with Lonesome Jubilee, Big Daddy, and Mr Happy Go Lucky as my favorite albums. IMHO this is better than his past two alums that are highly regarded by many. Never was a fan of LDLF but I did like NBTT a lot. While NBTT was great in many ways it lacks much of Mellencamp and his band’s uniqueness. It is this uniqueness that sets Mellencamp apart from the rest for me. It’s the atmosphere and sound the band can produce on alums such as Scarecrow, Lonesome Jubilee, Big Daddy, Mr Happy Go Lucky, John Mellencamp, and Freedom’s Road. All of these albums use a wide array of instruments; Hammond, harmonica, fiddle, violin, etc… to create great melodies. The band is truly top notch and underrated by many. This is matched by great song writing as well. Some of these songs are among the best Mellencamp has ever written. The Isolation of Mister is incredible and the lyrics are relatable to many. Probably one of my favorite sections;
Been so indifferent about so many things
About my time and my rage
Thought I was livin’ a life of freedom
But I was living in a cage
And that cage bred with my lower self
So many knots I did not untie
They came undone by my faults
This is truly Mellencamp’s song, Dylan nor Springsteen have never written anything quite like this song. The Company of Cowards sounds like it could be right off LJ or BD, only difference is John’s aged vocals. Tears of Vain and The Courtesy of King are the strongest vocal performances on the album, his voice suites both perfectly. The aged voice allows lyrics to be “expressed” in a way much like Dylan’s recent albums, just listen to this part of The Courtsey of King for an example:
She had the face of an angel
And a smile no one could deny
But the heart of a devil
Beat deep down in her inside
She spoke of judgment and forgiveness
Her other lovers didn’t mean a thing
She never took much notice
In the courtesy of kings
Brass Ring is written in a manner similar to Easter Eve on NBTT, storytelling at it’s finest. There really isn’t a bad song on Plain Spoke, all 10 deserve to be heard. Mellencamp’s voice sounds great right now but I do fear he’s a few packs away from something that would be less enjoyable. (I also think he purposely distorts his voice to sound like Dylan does nowadays).

Wanted to share my two cents on another fantastic album. Also if you havn't yet please go review Plain Spoken on Amazon and iTunes.

 

Found this answer to my question with a little online research. My question stems from when John and Andy were talking to Howard Stern about an album that they recorded that John disliked and therefore scraped. Turns out that recording preceded Cuttin Heads, here is a link to an article from 2001 http://www.mtv.com/news/1450003/john-mellencamp-takes-a-hard-look-at-race-issues-on-cuttin-heads/. Story goes John and the band tried to record an album with a change in scenery (somewhere other than Belmont), and they converted a hurricane shelter into a studio. John said the music came out "smelling like Jimmy Buffet" and therefore scraped the project.

Somewhere out there is a Mellencamp 'beachy' sounding album, lol! While I wouldn't be surprised if it's not that good I also wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't all that bad either. We all know how hard John is on himself. I challenge Republic Records and John to release this, I love the Dylan Bootleg Series, time for a Mellencamp Bootleg Series.

http://www.onstagemagazine.com/john-mellencamp-plain-spoken-reviewed/

Now thats a nice detailed review, excellent!

This was a great interview, Howard Stern does a fantastic job getting John to really open up.

I do have a question, at the 37 min mark John talks about how they were making an album a few years back in a make shift studio in Florida and how it sounded awful and therefore they ended up recording a whole new album. I was wondering if Tony or anyone knows what time period this was and which album was the final product from that unsuccessful attempt. I found it very interesting and it would be cool to someday hear those recordings, (wishful thinking but who knows).

Very nice review indeed, heres another good one. http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/2014/09/john_mellencamp_plain_spoken