I mentioned Merle Haggard the other day (in a post on Gram Parsons) and it occurred to me that I once saw him on television talking about how difficult it was for older artists to get their material heard these days in an increasingly superficial mass-media culture. And it's really too bad because many popular music artists continue to grow and explore well past the age that people wrongly consider the prime years (i.e. the twenties and thirties). Music, like everything else, should be judged on merit, quality, substance, intention. People who dismiss the work of older artists for no reason other than prejudice are either wrong or trying to sell something that can't be bought.

This brings me to today's subject: Ian Hunter's Man Overboard (2009) is a masterpiece that should be heard by everyone who cares about rock and roll, and "Arms and Legs" is one of the most powerful love songs he's written (which is saying a lot): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNd4R0yNPm4