hardinggr Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 I recently heard a song of theirs and thought it was beautiful (don't know the title sorry!). Can anybody recommend any of their albums to me please? Thanks PS another reason to ask is because they are playing here soon: http://www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk/ I wish Jeff & co would play one year! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
owl Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Our Endless Numbered Days is probably Sam Beam's best and most accessible. Highly recommended. I also have a few of his live shows here: http://www.owlandbear.com/live-downloads/ Check out http://www.owlandbear.com/flacshndvd-faq/ if you're not sure how to decompress the files. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Honestly, I'd recommend the whole catalog. If you want the more acoustic stuff, try The Creek Drank The Cradle. If you want full-band stuff, it's hard to beat the latest one, The Shepherd's Dog. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anthony Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Our Endless Numbered Days is probably Sam Beam's best and most accessible. Highly recommended. Agreed. LOVE this album. The others were a little flat for me. But OEND is one of the best records of the '00's IMHO. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
explodo Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 EPs are pretty great, too. Woman King and In the Reins. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 The Creek Drank the Cradle is one of my all time favorite records, it's beautiful. Great album in the autumn. Our Endless Numbered Days is good though I don't think it's on the same level as The Creek. The EPs are all really strong as well, The Sea and the Rhythm, In the Reins, and of course Woman King.Basically their all good, though I didn't get really into the last one like I did for all the other releases. It is a great album to listen to on headphones though, most of the songs "link" together and the album is mixed really well, it's so deep and wide. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Honestly, I'd recommend the whole catalog. If you want the more acoustic stuff, try The Creek Drank The Cradle. If you want full-band stuff, it's hard to beat the latest one, The Shepherd's Dog. correct answer Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I find the Shepards Dog kind of boring..the rest is pretty good though. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
explodo Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I find the Shepards Dog kind of boring..the rest is pretty good though. LouieBSame. The only one I never really got into. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I have a theory that the songs aren't as good on that one was they were on the previous two albums, so he tried to cover it up with elaborate arrangements. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
owl Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I don't think the songs on Shepherd are as strong as past efforts, but I also don't think it has anything to do with the more elaborate production. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 No, I didn't mean that the arrangements ruined that record, if anything they helped but it seems like they were just trying to cover up the lack of good songs. There were no songs that stuck out like Upward Over the Mountain, Jezebel, or Passing Afternoon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
people are leaving Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 CDTC = beautiful record that sounds like it could've been recorded many years ago. (see 4-track related artists)OEND = very good and a strong follow-up but doesn't quite reach the depth of the debut. SDOG = material wasn't as strong as the first two records. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardinggr Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Thanks gents! Think I'll give the first two a go. Sure I've been given a copy of Woman King before so will have to dig it out! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
you ever seen a ghost? Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 funny, when The Shepherd's Dog was released, i found myself wishing for a return of the old band-less I&W of the first two albums, but eventually i came round and realized that Shepherd's Dog is probably his most mature and certainly his best album to date. -justin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 i dunno if i'd say it's his best, but i'm failing to see the difference in quality between his 3 proper studio records and various EP's... maybe i'm just a fanboy, but there's 3-4 songs on Shepherd's Dog that are up there with Sam's best work (Carousel especially) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheMaker Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I still think OEND is head and shoulders above the others, if only for the fact that it contains two staggeringly perfect songs in Sodom South Georgia and Naked As We Came. They're fucking stunning, almost as if they'd always existed and were simply plucked from out of the ether by Sam. Most artists will never produce anything on that level. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I love 'em all, and I have a hard time understanding what people don't like about The Shepherd's Dog. "Resurrection Fern" is absolutely gorgeous. I'm not the kind of person who puts a single song on repeat, but I've done it with that song. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I love 'em all, and I have a hard time understanding what people don't like about The Shepherd's Dog. yeah, me either... i mean if it's the more elaborate (it's still pretty minimal compared to many acts) arrangements that turned people off, i could somewhat understand (if disagree fully), but songwriting & lyrically i think he's only improved throughout the years. when i first heard Woman King, i realized that Sam was going to take a different direction on his next album than those first 2, but for quite a while Woman King was my favorite thing he had done. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ponch1028 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 It's not the production (or added instruments) that hinders the last album so much as it is the mix. One of Iron & Wine's strengths is his voice, and it's too buried behind instrumentation in the mix. The songs prove themselves strong and worthy in the live setting when the mix has a better blend and balance. Our Endless Numbered Days is a masterpiece, although I like them all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mpolak21 Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I like Shepherd's Dog quite a bit, the songs might not be as strong individually as his earlier works, but I enjoy the album quite a bit as a whole. It's sort of like Graceland meets YHF or later-period Califone. Though not quite on that level. My favorite realease of Sam's might actually be the In the Reins EP, Iron and Wine did with Calexico. --Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigideas Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I find the Shepards Dog kind of boring..the rest is pretty good though. LouieB i'm the opposite.i think OEND was too repetitive, and then the eps didn't really change all that much.i really like the arrangements and sound of SD. i've still never heard Creek though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.