Music for "Tough Times"


When you're feeling lousy, or maybe just had a tough day, what one LP, CD, tape, etc. do you play to make you feel better? In my case it's Cowboy Junkies CD "The Caution Horses". Margo Timmins voice is at once soft and soothing, but also haunting and immediate. This is music that I can get lost in. What music do others use on occasions like this?
garfish
I didn't start this thread, but thanks for the great responses. Jadem6, I wish you the best. Some of my picks are James Taylor's, Secret Of Life, Paul Simon, American Tune, and too many to mention by Bob Dylan. For a lift, I love Whipping Post, by the Allman Brothers, who I am seeing tommorrow night at the Beacon Theater in NYC, and Hendrix' version of All along the Watchtower. Cornfedboy, I love your choice of Untouchable Face. Ani Difranco is one of my favorites. I am curious. Have you ever heard Dan Bern? He is a friend of Ani's, another underground artist. She produced one of his albums. He is irreverent, funny, angry,poltical,lewd, sarcastic and sentimental. He wrote an incredible song about violence in schools, called Kid's Prayer, that is a heart breaker. It is a single, that is available only from his web site, http://www.dbhq.com All proceeds go to victims of child abuse. Everytime we have another horror story in one of the schools, I think of that song.
The album I return to, time after time, for a lift is Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue" -- arguably the greatest jazz album of the past 50 years.
When I'm feeling very blue (with a touch of being P.O.'d) I put on Pink Floyd's "The Wall" - and then stay felling that way. When I'm down and want to mellow out, it's gotta be "To Our Children's Children's Children" by the Moody Blues. Actually, just about anything by the Moody Blues can mellow me out and cheer me up!
"Days of the New 2" for mellowing out, "Queens of the Stone Age" self titled, pretty much for anytime at all. But I have found a little known band called KYUSS they have songs for every mood.Their album "Sky Valley" is the most awesome album I have ever heard, closely followed by the above QOTSA album.BTW Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri from Queens of the Stone Age were founding members of KYUSS. Josh-Guit./Vocals and Nick-Bass/Vocals. KYUSS is sort of a cult band, and to me Josh is my favorite Guitarist of all time. Have a listen if you like heavier stuff. Cheers, Tim.
Even when times are at there toughest, one can not escape the up-lifting feeling one recieves from listening to Mapleshades recording of the ARC (Addicts Rehabilitation Center) Gospel Choir. All of the people within this choir were one foot in the grave drug addicts who have pulled them selves up from their boot straps and mended their ways. It is truly impossible to listen to this disc and hear the passion with which they sing and not be uplifted. I you are interested in this disc you can find it at www.mapleshaderecords.com. This disc aside from being eminently uplifting is a spectacular recording(any one who knows of Mapleshade knows of there impecable recordings).