Anyone who doubts that the song is the most important element of a recording should listen to No Song Left to Sell, Fred Koller's collection of tunes he co-wrote with the late Shel Silverstein.

Silverstein, who died last year, was well-known for both his quirky and intelligent songs ("Cover of the Rolling Stone," "Boy Named Sue") and his witty and poignant children's books (Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Giving Tree and others). Silverstein was a gifted and prolific talent who had a remarkable ability to distill complex ideas into the simplest forms. It's not surprising that he excelled at cartooning, children's literature and songwriting -- all art forms that depend on simplicity.

Fred Koller is a successful Nashville songwriter. I was delighted to learn while researching this review that he wrote "Angel Eyes," a song I've long admired, which has been covered by both John Hiatt and Jeff Healey. Koller and Silverstein met in 1974, wrote a song together, and kept hooking up as songwriting collaborators for the next 25 years. In this recording, Koller pays tribute to his old friend and does justice to the songs themselves with his own honest and moving performances.

There's a lot here. The collection includes classic storytelling ("The Lovely Margarita," "Little Green Buttons"), reflections on the songwriting life ("This Guitar is for Sale," "Remember My Song") , satirical social commentary ("Happy Caucasian"), smart observation about life in general ("Don't Knock the Music You Were Made To") and touching love songs ("Make It Pretty For Me"). Without exception, the 14 songs are intelligent and well-crafted. Check out this remarkable opening verse from "Sweet and Simple Things": "Baby's happy when she's horizontal / Laying back and listening to me sing / Sending out for burgers from McDonald's / Baby likes the sweet and simple things." Behind many songs is the impression that these two guys were giggling away at whatever odd idea they'd decided to work on today. (If you were alone, would you have actually finished "Goodnight Little Houseplant"?) Listening, we feel included in a friendship of uncommon depth.

The songs here are produced simply. They're beautifully recorded by Cliff Goldmacher with Fred Koller's voice up front, supported by Koller's acoustic guitar, Goldmacher's piano and harmonica, and Bob Doerschuck's keyboards. Vocals are rough at times, but that's the point. Anything too polished would take away from the friendly intimacy.

Both Silverstein and Koller could write great songs on their own. But thank heavens they met and were able to work together so well. From start to finish, No Song Left to Sell is a joy. As I read this, I'm listening to "Happy Caucasian." One line of the song goes "I can make a celebration out of a bad situation." After the death of his friend, that's exactly what Koller has done. No Song Left to Sell is a tribute to songwriting, to friendship and to collaboration. Come to think of it, they didn't use "collaboration" as a rhyming word in the Caucasian song. But of course, in the grand cosmic scheme of things, they did.

[ by Joy McKay ]
Rambles: 1 September 2001