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| -- THE "NEW & UNRELEASED" SONGS -- |
| > Josh Ritter Fansite: The "New & Unreleased" Songs |
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| The first time I saw Josh Ritter and his band perform, I went to hear "Golden Age of Radio" and "Leaving" and "Beautiful Night" among others. Then I heard the (then) "new" songs - and I was blown away. One was about "going to California", while another was about "Snow". These were the songs that I, and many others, were asking about....songs we couldn't yet find on Josh's albums. |
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| Well, those songs would later become part of the September 2003 released album "Hello Starling." But Josh, being the gifted, prolific songwriter he is, has already begun playing a crop of new songs during his concerts that again has people talking. |
| To help the fan community identify and get to know these "new" songs (as well as a couple popular songs that you won't find on an album) I am posting soundclips - just 50 to 60 second segments - of some of these great songs, in clear soundboard quality. A couple of them Josh has been playing for some time but only sporadically, while others are recent and have become mainstays in the band's shows. |
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| These sound clips come from private, unreleased soundboard recordings of select Josh Ritter concerts, and are property of Josh Ritter and Management. These versions of the songs in their entirety are not (yet) available for download or trade. Like the "live mp3's" on the Josh Ritter Fansite, they are for personal use only...! |
| To hear these songs in full, check out Josh Ritter's TOUR SCHEDULE (!). Alternate, "audience" recordings of some of these songs can be obtained in a trade (see the Trading Post). |
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| Comments: This is by far the most popular of the "new" songs - certainly the most talked and asked about. This one is a sure-shot for the next album. |
| Comments: A great song and personal fave of mine, this song Josh has been playing it for some time; he gave permission to Irish singer Mickey Harte to record it for his 2003 album "Sometimes Right Sometimes Wrong." Makes frequent appearances in the setlist, and is available on several shows offered on the Fansite Trading Post. |
| Comments: I believe this premiered during the winter of this year; I know it wowed me when I first heard it at the Cork Opera House in Ireland. This version is the song's current presentation, with Josh singing it in a lower key than previous performances. When performed with the band, there's a wonderfully simple, happy outro by Sammy on keyboards. |
| "JESUS" |
| Comments: Rare song. But way too good to be forgotten about. I believe it's been awhile since this one made its way into a set, but will hopefully reappear soon. Features three short verses with amazing metaphors, imagery, and a sweet little payoff: while verse 1 contends that "if Jesus was an angel, it'd be a step down for him, but one step closer to me" and verse 2 holds that "If bluebirds were drops of rain, it'd be a step down for them. There'd be music whenever rain came" -- it's the third verse that gets ya with "If you were next to me tonight, it'd be a step down for you, but I'd be high as a kite..." That's gold. |
| Comments: This song, however, is almost always a part of Josh's set. In case you didn't know, it's a cover of a Leonard Cohen song, and it's beautiful. Just as entertaining as the song itself is seeing who Josh dedicates it to, and how different audiences react to the line about the "unmade bed..." |
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| Comments: An old Irish folk song. If you don't sing along and raise your pint during this one, you have your head up your arse...! |
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| above photo by Jon Strymish |
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