i've never heard of any of them, or the album... but i did wikipedia him (bill) and he has twelve/thirteen releases... jesus i need an accident at work and six months off...just to follow half the new stuff on this board

Huh? better known for going out with Cat Power and Newsom? He was around long before he was going out with either of them two. Better known to you perhaps. I'd reccommend Dongs of Sevotion and The Doctor Came At Dawn. People rave about his new one but i'm not that keen. Say him in Galway on his last tour and he was deadly. A odd and engrossing live presence.

oh man... smog is just the best... last time he played dublin was june 2005 in whelans he had really lo-fi startings... the best of his earlier albums is perhaps julius caesar ('93)... then he gradually started to lose the lo-fi and had possibly his golden run of three albums... wild love ('95), red apple falls ('97) and knock knock ('99)... actually there's another one in the middle of those somewhere... red apple falls is quite sparse (as you know), wild love throws in a couple of different styles and rocks a bit more and knock knock tends more to the mainstream with some country licks but some of his best songs and songwriting... it is possibly his best known... dongs of sevotion is a good double lp from 2001 and a river aint too much (2005) feels more organic and happy than previous outings... in general his songwriting started dark and bitter and then got slightly happier with age - a great comic turn of phrase and his voice just holds your attention (somewhat like johnny cash's voice does)... the space he gives his songs as well - just magic (see 'to be of use' off red apple falls)... i'd go for "a river aint too much" first (as his latest) and then try "wild love" and then "knock, knock"

Red Apple Falls is the only one I have and I really like it too - Don't know why I never got anymore. I saw him in about 1997 in some long gone little venue on Sir John Rogerson's quay (I think) that I've forgotten the name of. (The Funnel?) He was great - Supported that night, fact fans, by a barely out of nappies Paddy Casey.

I'd say the new one is a pretty good one (A River Ain't Too Much To Love) although my favourite is the one with the cat on the cover and the lightening in the background. The name escapes me now.

Ctrlaltdelete, your spot on there. He's just one of those artists that I vaguely heard about but never got too interested in. Palace, you make me want to buy his whole back catalog of stuff. Cheers for all of that.

well, they're a pair of rides so it's not the worst thing to be recognised for. : )

Yeah, maybe I didn't listen to him before out of envy.

I'd go for A River Ain't Too Much To Love first then maybe Red Apple Falls or Knock Knock.

Also have "Red Apple Falls". Like it a lot, but was never really interested in buying anything else. Poor man's Will Oldham, perhaps?

I'd definitely go for Knock Knock first, its got a nice mix of upbeat and more melancholy tunes on it. Some good stuff on Dongs of Sevotion and A River aint Too Much. Rain on Lens is crap (bar one song), avoid it.

I keep meaning to buy some of his stuff but for some reason it's always really expsensive when I go into town.

Knock knock is brilliant, plain and simple brilliant!!! Although a favourite line of mine is from Dongs of Sevotion "I can hold a woman down on a hardwood floor"......sexy.

Yep - some classics in his back catalog. Particularly fond of 'Dress sexy at my funeral baby..."

Ah s**te! When I saw the Smog thread was hoping he'd announced a gig, which would indeed have been cause for celebration! But no, it's just about those who have not yet been fortunate enough to discover Bill Callahans genius! Marvellous he is and so much you have to look forward to. In addition to the albums mentioned above, I also really like Accumulation, a typical eclectic Smog compilation. Also, I believe the album with the Cat and the Lightening is Knock Knock, the first Smog album I heard and probably my favourite still.....

Among all you Smog fans, Im surprised nobody's mentioned the unbelievable "I Break Horses". I dont know if it's on an album (I only have Knock Knock) but it's on a single/EP of Cold Blooded Old Times I have. It's one of my favourite songs, quite heartbreaking. I played it for my friend during the summer and it floored him. That's my top tip! "I Break Horses" by Smog, Cold Blooded Old Times single. ANyone else know it?

It's on the Accumulation album and is one of the reasons I like the album so much....! Good call Norman....

I am Norman Schwarzkopf's friend and i have just got up off the floor after hearing the song 'I Break Horses' just this summer gone ( as opposed to that summer still here).Get it heard!