So, I somewhat like Ryan Adams but have been trying to get into his other stuff as I know a lot of people that are really into it. I enjoy Rock and Roll and Love is Hell quite a bit, mostly for the pretty guitar bits; lyrically the albums are pretty dumb… His other stuff is supposedly quite a bit better but I can’t really get into it. I found this guide on a forum I visit and thought it was pretty harsh but humorous:
So You Want to Get Into Ryan Adams? A Step-by-Step Guide!
1) Listen to Heartbreaker.
– if you like it, move to step 2
– if you don’t like it, move directly to step 10 and then go away (and plz kill urself)
2) Listen to 48 Hours and Cold Roses
– shameless self-promotion: before starting with Cold Roses, I highly recommend checking out Lukewarm Orchids (my perfect edited version of of CR), which makes for an easier entry point for a fairly dense double album
– if you like them a lot, move on to step 3
– if you enjoy them, but are a bit disappointed and want something more like Heartbreaker -or- if you loved Heartbreaker but don’t much care for them at all, take a detour and listen to Destroyer before moving on to step 3
– if you don’t like them and don’t like Destroyer, give up or go on, I don’t really care
—–DIVIDING LINE #1: FOR NON-CASUAL FANS ONLY—–
3) Listen to Jacksonville City Nights, Gold (+ the Side 4 EP) and Pnuemonia (Whiskeytown)
– Side 4, an EP of songs cut (supposedly by the record company) from Gold, is an absolute must. It improves Gold immensely and has a number of its best songs (including what is imo the best song from the Gold sessions, “The Fools We Are As Men”) and I never listen to Gold without it.
– if you find yourself drawn more to the pop sound of Gold and Pnuemonia, take a detour and listen to Easy Tiger before moving on to step 4
– if you love the songs on Gold, but think it sounds too polished, check out The Suicide Handbook before moving on to step 4
– if you really love the overt country sound of JCN, check out Faithless Street (Whiskeytown) before moving on to step 4
4) Listen to Strangers Almanac (Whiskeytown), Love is Hell and, if you haven’t detoured toward them yet, The Suicide Handbook and Destroyer
– if you love SA, and haven’t done so from my JCN rec, grab Faithless Street (the first Whiskeytown album)
– if you really love the sound of Love is Hell, proceed directly to 29 and Rock N Roll (and be warned: they are both patchy, especially the latter…but then so is LiH)
5) Listen to Demolition and whatever out of Easy Tiger, 29, Rock N Roll and Faithless Street (Whiskeytown) that you have not already listened to because of detour recommendations
– if you really enjoy ET, take a quick listen to the Follow the Lights EP before moving on to step 6
—–DIVIDING LINE #2: FOR OBSESSIVES ONLY—–
6) listen to the myriad unreleased sessions/albums not mentioned so far, including, but not limited to, The Swedish Sessions, Exile on Franklin St., The Elizabethtown Sessions/Darkbreaker, Pinkhearts 1&2 and the Q Divisiondemos + Whiskeytown’s Rural Free Delivery (a compilation of early songs) and Those Weren’t The Days (an unreleased session)
7) listen to all the DRA singles, EPs, b-sides (definitely grab Fool’s Gold for the songs not on the Side 4 EP), etc. not mentioned so far + listen to “Crossed Out Name” (a really good song from that turd of an album Cardinology)
8) listen to all the volumes of Bedhead (compilations of live material), other live comps (such as Ryan Adams Sucks), and some live shows
– highly recommended live show: Live at the Exit/Inn from 10/28/1999 (with a guest appearance from Gillian Welch!)
– I also recommend seeking out some shows from 2006/2007 (the Cardinals’ live peak IMO)
—–DIVIDING LINE #3: FOR INSANE PEOPLE ONLY—–
9) grab all the weirdo side project stuff, including Orion (his metal album and a real release!), Werewolph, Sad Dracula (actually highly recommended), DJ Reggie, etc.
– definitely grab Ryan’s rap song “Dot Come Mothafuckaz” (not a real title, I don’t think), because it’s the greatest thing ever
—–DIVIDING LINE #4: FOR MASOCHISTS ONLY—-
10) if you love Ryan so much that nothing can make you lose respect for him, or if you came directly from step 1 after disliking Heartbreaker and want something that you can point to when you tell everyone how much Ryan sucks, listen to Cardinology
– when you finish the involuntary vomiting that almost always goes hand in hand with a listen to this album, delete it immediately (aside from “Crossed Out Name”), unless you are anal completionist type or a bulimic who wants an easier way to induce oral evacuation
———-THE END———-
Congrats! If you made it this far, you are now a superfan. Welcome to the club! You are also now a loser/weirdo. On the totem pole of freaks, you only rank above people who have seen over 100 Phish shows, Australians, Decemberists fans, the avant crew, and (most of all) anyone who would actually write this guide.
Now join in and post your opinions, so that I can tell you how terrible they are!