Showdown at big sky - Robbie Robertson

1987 was the year when the first cd player entered our house. Every disc my sister and me bought was played almost religiously, while we listened to the sound of this flawless disc. Of course, I was still very much into the 7" vinyl format, so when a great song came around that was released as a single, I bought it. It widened the scope of my musical tastes beyond radio material.

'Showdown at big sky' was one of those singles I never heard on the radio, but solely on my sister's copy of Robbie Robertson's cd 'Robbie Robertson'. A great song, which didn't chart in Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 709
Found: 1987
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Showdown at big sky' / 'Hell's half acre'

Somewhere down the crazy river - Robbie Robertson

When asked about the inspiration for the song 'Somewhere down the crazy river', producer Daniel Lanois commented: 'Robbie Robertson was describing what it was like to hang out in Arkansas with Levon Helm in his old neighbourhood. He was telling me about the hot nights and fishing with dynamite, and was asking someone for directions for someplace somewhere down the crazy river... I had presented him with this toy instrument that Eno introduced me to called the Suzuki Omnichord, like an electric autoharp. He found a little chord sequence with it that was sweet and wonderful. As he was developing his chord sequence I recorded him and superimposed his storytelling, which I was secretly recording, on top. That was the birth of 'Somewhere down the crazy river.' It's kind of like a guy with a deep voice telling you about steaming nights in Arkansas.'

The song was released as a single and became notable as Robertson's only solo hit in the UK, reaching number 15 on the UK singles chart. In the Dutch Top 40, it did even better, peaking at number 9.

My collection: 7" single no. 1540
Found: Record fair, October 27, 1991
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Somewhere down the crazy river' / 'American roulette'