An interesting story up on Consequence of Sound this morning where they mull over the various Ryan Adams going on at the moment. As they note, “Ryan Adams dropped two new songs over the last few weeks, both related to Colorado media outlets. The first was a tribute to radio station 105.5 The Colorado Sound, while the second was penned in exchange for a weather forecasting gig for news channel Denver 7. Adams is apparently still very much in the giving spirit, as today he took to Twitter to tease the release of more than four different projects, including 17 all-new songs as well as his long-lost Blackhole album.
“I have 17 new songs,” he wrote. “I have 4 records on a shelf. Does anyone want to hear Prisoner 2 & 3, Black Hole? Live at Capitol Theater w @stringdusters, Exile on Main Streetcover live & rehearsal?” He added, “I’m just asking to see if maybe I’m crazy & no one does.”
He isn’t crazy — most fans would salivate at the thought of hearing even just one of the aforementioned projects. Adams’ last full-length was 2017’s excellent Prisoner, so hearing a 17-track follow-up would be a treat. But so would alternate versions of or sequels to that album, which is what Prisoner 2 and Prisoner 3 might be referring to.
A recording of his July 24, 2016 show at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, could also make for an important collector’s item. That gig, which was alongside The Infamous Stringdusters, boasted collaborative covers of Slayer’s “South of Heaven” and Black Sabbath’s “The Wizard”. It also featured a solo acoustic set from Adams in which he debuted a handful of songs that would later appear on Prisoner. Similarly, a live recording of his tribute concert to the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street, which took place as part of the New Orleans Jazz Fest this past May, would probably be at the top of any Adams wish list.
However, the holy grail of all unreleased Adams projects is perhaps Blackhole. Dating back more than 10 years, it’s reportedly the last album he recorded while still battling drugs. Adams has been teasing the long-lost LP for years; most recently, he considered finally releasing it for Record Store Day 2015. According to the rocker, there’s also two different versions of Blackhole that he’s been sitting on.
I wrote this album.
I have 17 new songs.I have 4 records on a shelf
Does anyone want to hear
Prisoner 2 & 3
Black Hole?
Live at Capitol Theater w v@stringdusters
Exile on Main Street cover live & rehearsal?I'm just asking to see if maybe I'm crazy & no one does. pic.twitter.com/mXyHitWfTK
— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) June 18, 2018
“There’s one where the vocals and the performances are really fucked-up,” he told NME. “Then there’s a second version, which was the last thing I did when I was still messed up. Bits and pieces of that had to be stitched together to make the final product like a patchwork quilt, because some of its vocal takes are too fucked-up to release. But it’s really cool and the end result made me very happy.”
Adams has previously performed two tracks off Blackhole, “The Door” and “Catherine”, but to finally have the full album in one’s possession would be like finally solving a decades-long mystery.
Now we play the waiting game. It’s your move, Adams.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=482lqzBFS38
