I remember reading a Rolling Stone interview with Bob Dylan the year this week's tune came out, and at one point Dylan was asked if there were any songs he was currently hearing that he liked. Dylan begged off somewhat, saying that he didn't listen to too much music because he didn't want his own work to be influenced by what he was hearing--but he did mention "We Just Disagree" as a song that he particularly liked (he'd also play it on his 1980 tour). And I remember thinking, "All the great music that's coming out and that's the song he likes?" Somewhere many years down the road I heard it anew and had one of my "Holy Shit" moments, where I realize a song is much better than I had originally thought.
Dave Mason has somewhat quietly put together a hell of a career resume. Starting with his work with Traffic (with which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004), Mason has through the years done session work with Jimi Hendrix (played acoustic 12 string guitar on "All Along the Watchtower"), George Harrison (All Things Must Pass), the Rolling Stones (Beggars Banquet), had duets with Phoebe Snow and Michael Jackson, and also was briefly a member of Fleetwood Mac. That's in addition to the thirteen solo albums he's released, the last of which came out in 2014. He's still playing about a hundred shows a year, and is involved in charities that encourage kids playing music as well as foundations helping those with substance abuse problems and veterans. Another in a long line of FNJ vets who have made the most out of a modicum of success....
Released in 1977 on his Let It Flow album, "We Just Disagree" was the only solo hit of Mason's career (as was the album, which peaked at #37 on the Billboard 200), as it reached #12 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100. Written by Jim Krueger who also did the backing vocals as well as playing 12 string guitar on the single, the song has, much like last week's tune by the Marshall Tucker Band, remained a staple of Classic Rock radio for forty years now.
"We Just Disagree" tells the tale of a couple meeting up some time after their breakup, with the male half registering some concern for her but also realizing they went their separate ways for a reason and that it's best to just let it all go. In some ways, it's an adult version of the brokenhearted break up song--the protagonist acknowledges there were no good or bad guys in their break up, but rather was just the two of them and they just didn't see eye to eye. The song opens with a delightful guitar that jangles its way into Mason's vocals, where he's quickly joined by Krueger to form some harmonies that are just this side of gospel tinged. There's some nice oh-oh-oh's that convey a little of the pain, and it closes almost abruptly--but like a good short story, you realize its told you just enough. It's certainly not your standard fare for a top 40 hit, but therein lies the beauty of pop music--there's always another surprise just around the corner.
Liner notes: "There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy/There's only you and me and we just disagree..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee
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