It’s not exactly the return to music anyone would have guessed from Michael Stipe, but the former R.E.M. frontman is back with his first new recording since that band split in 2011: a duet with Courtney Love called “Rio Grande” off the new Johnny Depp-curated Son of Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys.
The full 36-track, 2CD compilation — including appearances by Shane MacGowan, Robyn Hitchcock, Tom Waits, Keith Richards, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Marc Almond, Michael Gira, Matthew Sweet and Susannah Hoffs — is streaming this week at NPR ahead of its Feb. 19 release. You can also hear the Stipe/Love track below via TheAttackOfMusic.
FULL STREAM: Son of Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys
Some interesting tracks and collaborations but a bit too weird and downbeat to listen to on a regular basis. But its supposed to be gritty songs from the pirate era. The Iggy tracks aren’t bad and Robyn Hitchcock and Patty Smith are decent as individual downloads. But they didn’t include any Michael Bolton tracks, isn’t he a huge Pirates of the Caribbean fan?
Buy some old Pogues records and you’ll be a lot happier.
If you want some bum better get it from your chum, you’ll get no ass from me!
Listening to and enjoying this album is a challenge, so having some of my favorite artists on it make it somewhat palatable.
Like it, but why does he pronounce Rio in that way? Weird! It just sounds wrong sung like that!
I’m guessing its because this song is when the texans went down through the “Rio Grande” durring the spanish american war and I think thats the way most southern americans pronounced it.