Hello fjn04....glad someone is listening! I do hope you will check out H&O. To me their earlier song-writing has more depth than some of the things they did at the height of their commercial success.
I think you make a good point about For the Roses. I do remember this LP when it first came out. It made a big impression on me (Blonde in the Bleachers; Bar & Grille). It IS excellent though, as you say, probably less "celebrated" than Blue, LotC, Court and Spark or Hejira. Personally, Hejira seems a little more "studied" or calculated (forced?) to me. For whatever reason, not as free-flowing as the others you mention - but still a very good recording and something any other artist would be proud to have produced. You probably know Hissing of Summer Lawns. Not sure how this is regarded but it surpasses Hejira in terms of being one of my favorites from JM. Miles of Aisles is a great live compilation.
There's an incredible amount of music out there to explore and enjoy. Thanks for the reminder about For the Roses. Gonna go dig that out later.
I think you make a good point about For the Roses. I do remember this LP when it first came out. It made a big impression on me (Blonde in the Bleachers; Bar & Grille). It IS excellent though, as you say, probably less "celebrated" than Blue, LotC, Court and Spark or Hejira. Personally, Hejira seems a little more "studied" or calculated (forced?) to me. For whatever reason, not as free-flowing as the others you mention - but still a very good recording and something any other artist would be proud to have produced. You probably know Hissing of Summer Lawns. Not sure how this is regarded but it surpasses Hejira in terms of being one of my favorites from JM. Miles of Aisles is a great live compilation.
There's an incredible amount of music out there to explore and enjoy. Thanks for the reminder about For the Roses. Gonna go dig that out later.