On the Rural Route 7609 (2010)
Disc One
1. Longest Days
2. Grandma's Theme
3. Rural Route
4. Jackie Brown
5. Rain on the Scarecrow
6. Jim Crow (Spoken)
7. Jim Crow
8. Big Daddy of Them All
9. Deep Blue Heart
10.Forgiveness
11.Don't Need This Body
12.Jenny at 16
13.Jack and Diane (Writing Demo)
14.Jack and Diane
Disc Two
1. The Real Life (Spoken)
2. Ghost Towns Along the Highway
3. The Full Catastrophe
4. Authority Song (Writing Demo)
5. Troubled Land
6. To Washington
7. Our Country
8. Country Gentleman
9. Freedom's Road
10.Mr. Bellows
11.Rodeo Clown
12.Love and Happiness
13.Pink Houses
Disc Three
1. If I Die Sudden
2. Someday
3. Between a Laugh and a Tear
4. Void in My Heart
5. Death Letter
6. Sugar Marie
7. Theo and Weird Henry
8. When Jesus Left Birmingham
9. L.U.V.
10.Thank You
11.Women Seem
12.The World Don't Bother Me None
13.Cherry Bomb (Writing Demo)
14.Some Day the Rains Will Fall
15.A Ride Back Home
Disc Four
1. My Aeroplane
2. Colored Lights
3. Just Like You
4. Young Without Lovers
5. To M.G. (Wherever She May Be)
6. Sweet Evening Breeze
7. What If I Came Knocking
8. County Fair
9. Peaceful World
10.Your Life is Now
11.For the Children
12.Rural Route
Box sets from veteran artists usually fall into one of three categories: a greatest hits parade, a treasure trove of rarities, or a thoughtful mix of both. What John Mellencamp does here, though, is none of the above. On the Rural Route 7609 is a collection that sidesteps his commercial legacy almost entirely and instead plays out more like a curated retrospective through Mellencamp’s own lens—whether listeners are ready for that or not.
The title refers to the years 1976 to 2009, the span of Mellencamp’s career covered here. But if you’re expecting a balanced overview, think again. There’s hardly a trace of his early hits, and when they do appear, it’s in the form of stripped-down demos or odd spoken-word interludes. The final result feels less like a celebration of a storied career and more like an artist trying to rewrite his own narrative.
In many ways, it’s no surprise. Mellencamp has long had a complicated relationship with fame, especially the Johnny Cougar era that launched him into stardom. He’s dismissed much of his past work in interviews, and this set plays like a confirmation of that dismissal. The hits that made him a household name—Jack & Diane, Pink Houses, Hurts So Good—are mostly absent, and instead we get a heavy dose of his later-period material, some of which holds up, and some of which doesn’t.
To be fair, there are moments where the concept shines. The spoken-word prelude to Jim Crow for instance, adds a layer of gravity and context that enhances the track’s message. Similarly, the inclusion of early acoustic demos like Cherry Bomb and The Authority Song is interesting from a historian’s perspective, even if you find yourself wishing the original recordings had made the cut alongside them. But too often, the choices feel frustratingly incomplete—like offering a taste of something only to snatch it away.
There’s no doubt Mellencamp wanted this set to reflect what he sees as the heart of his work—songs with grit, message, and substance. And while that goal is admirable, it also ends up feeling a bit revisionist. For fans who have followed him through every stage, there’s certainly material here to appreciate. But for anyone looking for a true overview of his career, this will likely be a head-scratcher.
On the Rural Route 7609 might be best viewed not as a box set, but as a personal scrapbook—one compiled by the artist himself, for the artist himself. Whether or not that resonates with longtime listeners is another matter entirely.
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