featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
October 30, 2024
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
Not one to let Taylor Swift hoard all the attention, Todd Snider has spent the last year recording and releasing Purple Versions of his records, live re-recordings of his albums that also include his stories and introductions that give some background to each song. In celebration of his thirtieth anniversary, the songwriter has also announced a limited edition box set, Best Of All My Songs, to be released December 13 on his Aimless Records.
For this Episode of our Lookback Machine, where we select our thirty (30) favorite songs from a seminal artist's catalog, we're going to suggest our own list, which will surely diverge from Snider's own. It must be said that we're not great fans of novelty songs, several of which stand as the songwriter's most popular work. But in poring back over Snider's oeuvre, we were surprised with what a very good collection we've been able to assemble.
We were also expecting to struggle to mine songs from Snider's more recent work, much of which has favored the sort of topical sociopolitical commentary songs we're hoping to avoid. Like great athletes, we all tend to fade out with time. That said, we were able to keep to our tradition of presenting at least one song per studio release. We would also highlight Snider's 2022 covers record with Band Of Heathens, Remote Transmissions Vol 1, a strong gathering of cover songs. We've also not represented his three worthy albums with his Hard Working Americans assembly, featuring Dave Schools and Duane Trucks of Widespread Panic, Chad Staehly from Great American Taxi, and Derek Trucks (and the late Neal Casal for a time). Todd Snider has not shied away from paying tribute from admired writers, even recording Time As We Know It, a full LP of Jerry Jeff Walker tunes.
TODD SNiDER: thirty favorites
- "That Was Me" Songs For the Daily Planet (MCA, 94)
- "Alright Guy" Songs For the Daily Planet
- "I Spoke As a Child" Songs For the Daily Planet
- "I Believe You" Step Right Up (MCA, Apr 96)
- "Enough" Step Right Up
- "Hey Hey" Step Right Up
- "Can't Complain" Viva Satellite (MCA, Apr 98)
- "Never Let Me Down" Viva Satellite
- "DB Cooper" Happy To Be Here (Oh Boy, Apr 00)
- "Rose City" New Connection (Oh Boy, 02)
- "Waco Moon" New Connection
- "Tillamook County Jail" East Nashville Skyline (Oh Boy, Jul 04)
- "Play a Train Song" East Nashville Skyline
- "Alcohol and Pills East Nashville Skyline
- "Looking For a Job" Devil You Know (New Door, Aug 06)
- "Just Like Old Times" Devil You Know
- "Thin Wild Mercury" Devil You Know
- "Devil You Know" Devil You Know
- "Missing You" Peace Love & Anarchy: Rarities, B-sides and Demos Vol 1 (Aimess, Apr 07)
- "East Nashville Skyline" Peace Love & Anarchy
- "Cheatham Street Warehouse" Peace Love & Anarchy
- "Mission Accomplished (Because You Gotta Have Faith)" Peace Queer (Aimless, Oct 08)
- "Greencastle Blues" Excitement Plan (Yep Roc, Jun 09)
- "America's Favorite Pastime" Excitement Plan
- "Don't Tempt Me (ft Loretta Lynn)" Excitement Plan
- "In Between Jobs" Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables (Aimless, Mar 12)
- "Ways and Means" Eastside Bulldog (Aimless, Oct 16)
- "Like a Force Of Nature (ft Jason Isbell)" Cash Cabin Sessions Vol 3 (Aimless, Mar 19)
- "Turn Me Loose (I'll Never Be the Same)" First Agnostic Church Of Hope and Wonder (Aimless, Apr 21)
- "From a Dying Rose" Crank It We're Doomed (Aimless, Sep 23)
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