Ghost Brothers of Darkland County CD

[WildNight]

Not too much talk here about the music for Ghost Brothers. Which is a shame, John wrote all of these songs so its surprising no one is all that excited.

I think John wrote some of the best songs of his career, lyrics are fantastic. My favorite songs are:

That s Who I Am (Performed by Neko Case)
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong About Me (Performed by Elvis Costello)
Brotherly Love (Performed by Ryan Bingham, Will Dailey)
How Many Days (Performed by Kris Kristofferson)
You Are Blind (Performed by Ryan Bingham)
Away From This World (Performed by Sheryl Crow)
Truth by John Mellencamp - although there's not enough John for my liking in the song

I would love to see John perform any of these works of art. Anybody else have any songs they really like?

[walktall2010]

I love "Home Again," "Away From This World," "Jukin'" (Sheryl Crow's voice is beautiful on these tunes), "And Your Days Are Gone," "That's Who I Am," "Wrong, Wrong, Wrong About Me" (Elvis Costello and Andy York co-wrote this one) and "You Are Blind," which John has already called one of the most beautiful songs he ever wrote.

These are great songs -- I hope somehow some versions of other songs not on this set, like "Lounging Around in Heaven," "On Belle Reve Time," and "What's Going On Here," which are all supposed to be fantastic, get released in some form. Would love to hear them.     
 

[WildNight]

So cool that Andy co-wrote that song... I now like it that much more! It seems like writing songs for other people and characters really freed up John's creative writing process. Hope he uses this approach on the new album.

[NewYorker]

Brilliant works. It arrived from amazon Monday and has not left my CD player. Some of his best works are contained in this soundtrack. Cheers to the actors for the first rate voice interpretations as well.

[mtotch123]

On some other branch of this tree someone called it a masterpiece....which I totally agree with.  I love every song and am seeing a whole new creative side to John Mellencamp!  I love Elvis' rendition of "That's Me"...very devil-like.  And for some reason I'm stuck on "So Goddamn Smart".  Personal reasons probably!!  But every song IS a masterpiece.  I cannot wait to see this live!

"-somedays I still don't know what to do-"
Mary in Michigan

[mellenheadinohio]

beiing a fan of many of the artists on this cd (Costello, Cash, Kristofferson, Crow), it goes without saying that i like their songs.  i must say that currently my favorite is Neko Case, who i wasn't familiar with prior.  i'm sure my favorites will change the more i listen.

[jakesmom204]

I mentioned this on another thread, but I have not yet bought this CD or whatever combo it is.  Can someone tell me what exactly to buy?  I am not a tech person and I don't have ipods or ipads or iphones or anthing like that. And should I wait until after the play to listen?  If those who have seen the play can give me their opinion.
 Thanks!

[bradsanders56]

I am trying to listen to the music in context of the play.  I only have the music.  I did see the play in Atlanta.  I wish I had these songs before the play.  My heart gets tugged on a little bit in "My Name is Joe". 

[Smalltownboy]

It's definitely a terrific CD.  Kris Kristopherson is brilliant on "How Many Days".  I agree, the songwriting is excellent.




Mike

[turmbird]

Finally received the hardcover cd/dvd edition, shipping took weeks, but it was worth waiting for. the whole package is fantastic, great work from everybody involved, this is really something special.

I listened to the music before on the official website and was very impressed by the songs, now with the book and all the stuff in my hands, it get´s even better.

my favourite songs at this moment are "What Kind of Man Am I", "You Don´t Know Me", "So Goddam Smart", "Tear This Cabin Down", and "Truth". could have listed them all though.
I have never listened a lot to Elvis Costello or Sheryl Crow. Them singing these songs now again show me, that it´s the song and not the singer.

I am still figuring out who is who in the story, trying to really understand it all. while reading through the libretto I noticed there are a few songs that don´t appear on the soundtrack. "Longing Around In Heaven", "On Belle Reve Time", "Put Me In The Ground", and "A Rose for Poor Anna".
Are these complete songs as well, have they been recorded? Maybe someone knows about this.

I also wonder about the cooperation of the 3 masterminds. Normally I think that in any cooperation there must be one person to decide at the end of the day.
What was first, the story or the songs?

This brothers story is crazy. I have a brother, and he is the best friend in my life.
John wrote about brother relationships in a few songs before, the Cain and Abel thing. "Fruit Trader", "Brothers", "Longest Days" or "No One Cares About Me" for example.
I always wondered how he got on with his brother and if this relationship was the inspiration to the songs. Now this story which is supposed to really have happened.

So a lot to think about and listen to!
Thanks to all who took part in this exciting project! I´d wish I could come over for a show, we´ll see...

[Smalltownboy]

Yeah, the collaboration on this is outstanding.




Mike