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that or maybe you were dropped on your head...poor guy :(

 

:)

 

Seriously though, "Won't Be Home," "The New Kid," "Bloomington," "This is the Moonlight," and "No Mother" are some of the best songs I've heard in a long long time.

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i love that song because it's not a great song...it is what it is, and it is amusing.

 

for some reason I like that song also. that and won't be home and the rest of the disc can be used as a coaster or as a clay pigeon or something.

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Okay, here we go, because I have nothing better to do, a complete rundown of the albums:

 

1. "Hitchhike to Rhome"- This is def. the most country sounding album they have made, the sound isn't as full on this record as the others, but the songs are really good. something that bothered me about this record at first was the way Rhett sang with a really pronounced Southern accent. my personal favorites are "St. Ignatious", "Hands Off", and "Wish the Worst" oh, and "If My Heart Was A Car"

 

2. "Wreck Your Life"- the bloodshot release, this one is more rockin' than the first record, and a bit more twangy too. the overall sound of the record is more solid than "HHTR" and rhett lost his accent somewhere... key tracks here are "Doreen", "Victoria" and "over the cliff"

 

3. "Too Far to Care"- this one is the most slick of all the records so far, and their first elektra record. Personally, I think every song on this one is awesome, and I really need to get a 2nd copy cos mine skips. Anybody who is even just a little bit of a fan of alt.country should own this record. Highlights-- "Timebomb", "Streets Where I'm From", "4-Leaf Clover"

 

4. "Fight Songs"- Rhett always said that Fight Songs was supposed to be the pretty record, and while the band still hung on to some honky tonk, they embraced pop melodies as well. for some reason, a lot of people overlook this record, although, for many it was a first introduction to the band. this record, according to elecktra, was supposed to make them huge stars, but the radio market didn't get it, and so it didn't sell so well. Also, a bit of trivia, when they recorded it Rhett was sick, so his vocals are a lot different. Key songs-- "Jagged", "Lonely Holiday", Alone So Far", "Busted Afternoon" and "Valentine"

 

5. "Satellite Rides"- this record is the power pop record. Less twang and more distortion. The song writing isn't as "poor me" as the other records, which a lot of people don't like, but I think it's a good reflection upon how the band evolved. The production on this album is really good. key songs include "Rollerskate Skinny", "Can't Get A Line", "Designs on You" and "Nervous Guy"

 

6. 'Drag It Up'-the first new west release. nobody seems to really dig this record, but I like it. Sure "Cohuila" isn't a real thinker of a song, but it's fun. They were trying to go for a more low key sound on this record, and I think they did it. Highlights- "Won't Be Home", "Smokers", "Bloomington", "In the Satellite Rides A Star"

 

7. "Alive and Wired"- the live record. This one has all sorts of good stuff on it. Pretty much all the tracks I've previously mentioned are played on here, it's 2 discs, and is kind of a good representation of the band as a live band. The live show, of course, is best witnessed in person. Highlights- "4-Leaf Clover", "Timebomb", "Friends Forever" and a rareity called "The Villian"

 

Rhett Miller's solo stuff---

1. the Insigator- I really like this record. It's very very very power pop, and all the songs are happy (again, because of that, I think that's why a lot of people disliked the record). The key songs on this record are "our Love", "Point Shirley"(robyn hitchcock does backing vocals), "terrible vision" and "World inside the world"

 

2. the Beliver- this is the more lush of the 2 records, and the arrangements are more complex. A lot of people we complaining that his songwriting on this one was weak, I disagree, he's just a different person now than he was when he wrote "Too far to care" or whatever. Some of the songs on this record ("Fireflies", "Singular Girl" and "Question") were Old 97's songs. in fact, "Question" was on "Satellite Rides", but there's keyboard parts on this version, and it's more full sounding. I think it's a good record for his 2nd release. key tracks include-- "My Valentine", "Brand New Way", "Ain't That Strange", "The Believer" and "Delicate".

 

Also, there's Rhett's real first solo record "Mythologies", where he tries to do a real good David Bowie impression.

 

Oh, and I have another bit of trivia... the 97's were on the same label as Billy Bragg, and they were chosen to go on tour with Bragg to play the songs off the first "Mermaid Ave." record, but at the last minute thier work permits for the UK got denied.

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I would avoid Rhett's solo stuff, that is, unless you are a 17 year old girl and think he's dreamy.

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