Shawn Mullins – 2008 – Honeydew
By Eric | December 23, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Shawn Mullins
Title: Honeydew
Label: Vanguard
Released: Mar 11, 2008
Packaging: Cardboard
Pack-in DVD
Release Type: Standard
Autographed
Tracklist:
#All In My Head
#Home
#The Ballad of Kathryn Johnston
#Homeless Joe
#Leaving All Your Troubles Behind
#Fraction of a Man
#See That Train
#For America
#Cabbagetown
#Nameless Faces
#Song of the Self (Chapter 2)
#Rewind the Years
Review:
Since Tiff never does her own reviews, I found Shawn’s own take on the album, track-by-track:
�All in My Head�: The song�s theme of self-examination belies the fact that it was written by Mullins and Hansen as a prospective theme song for the sitcom Scrubs. The original 2002 recording was lighter and more uptempo than this powerful new version, in which Mullins delivers an arching falsetto vocal in the chorus. �When we FIRST started the recording, I was having a block, and Gerry said, �Shawn, I�m tellin� you, that shit�s all in your head, just like that song we wrote.� And I said, �Man, we oughta dig that up.� The next thing I knew, we were all sitting around working it up in a whole different groove.�
�Home�: �The first verse is about my dear friend Melissa Hadley, a musician in Athens and the funniest woman I ever knew, who died at 38 of ovarian cancer. The second verse came to me as I was looking at old pictures of Cabbagetown, a section of Atlanta that was once inhabited by Irish immigrant mill workers. In one photo, there�s a boy sitting in front of a dimestore, looking as emaciated as a POW. I got to thinkin� that it wasn�t that long ago, right here in my hometown.�
�The Ballad of Kathryn Johnston�: Literally ripped from the headlines, the song is about an aged woman living in a crime-infested Atlanta neighborhood who got a gun to protect herself. When intruders broke down her door one night, the woman started firing, not realizing her assailants were police officers, who, it turned out, had targeted the wrong house in search of drug dealers. �Reading Dylan�s Chronicles inspired me to look for news stories, and this one really grabbed me. So little was said about it because that�s how things are in rough neighborhoods, which is what I meant by the line, �everything stays the same.� But it all changed for me, because I connected with her. Sometimes I don�t feel safe, especially after we got cleaned out last year. But we don�t have a gun in the house. Even though I�ve got a little army in me [after college, Mullins was commissioned in the U.S. Army Reserve], I don�t wanna live that way.�
�Homeless Joe�: �There really is a Homeless Joe here in Atlanta, along with Shorty, Blind Bob, Wolf and other strumming, homeless troubadours. They�re living through their art, even though their lives are tough, without enough to eat or a place to sleep, and they�re viewed as winos on the street. The song is a celebration of those people who are following their bliss, even in the most difficult of circumstances. I�ve always connected with them; I see them as modern-day examples of the wanderer.�
�Leaving All Your Troubles Behind�: �This is the story of a girl who lives in a town in the North Georgia Mountains where there were once textile mills, but now the biggest industry is trailer meth, cooked up by the grandkids of moonshiners. There are a lot of people in small towns in the South that try to escape, and most of them wind up coming back. But not this girl; she�s seen enough to know that�s not where she belongs.�
�Fraction of a Man�: �A modern-day traveling salesman finds himself in Biloxi, and suddenly it hits him � �What am I doing with my life’� That�s a really common thing for a lot of middle-aged American men, who want to follow their bliss and really go for it, but somehow they never do. This one leaves you with a reality check, with the
alcoholism, the loneliness, and the nomadic existence. It�d make a bummer of a movie.�
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Shawn Mullins – 2008 – Honeydew
Tags: 2008, Cardboard, Shawn Mullins, Standard, Vanguard
Mudvayne – 2000 – L.D. 50
By Eric | December 23, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Mudvayne
Title: L.D. 50
Label: No Name / Epic
Released: Aug 29, 2000
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD
Release Type: Standard
Autographed
Tracklist:
#Monolith
#Dig
#Internal Primates Forever
#-1
#Death Blooms
#Golden Ratio
#Cradle
#Nothing To Gein
#Mutatis Mutandis
#Everything And Nothing
#Severed
#Recombinant Resurgence
#Prod
#Pharmaecopia
#Under My Skin
#(k)Now F(orever)
#Lethal Dosage
Review:
Mudvayne’s first (on a major label), and arguably best. This pioneered their “math-metal” sound, and they really didn’t sound like anyone else at the time. Of course, it took me seven years to bother to check them out, and even longer to get this CD. Better late than never.
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Tags: 2000, Jewel Case, Mudvayne, No Name / Epic, Standard
Various Artists – 2005 – Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen
By Eric | December 23, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Various Artists
Title: Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen
Label: Hollywood
Released: Aug 9, 2005
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD
Release Type: Standard
Autographed
Tracklist:
#We Are The Champions
#Tie Your Mother Down
#Bohemian Rhapsody
#Stone Cold Crazy
#Good Old Fashioned Loverboy
#Under Pressure
#Who Wants To Live Forever
#Bicycle Race
#Crazy Little Thing Called Love
#Sleeping On The Sidewalk
#Killer Queen
#Death On Two Legs
#Play The Game
#Bohemian Rhapsody
#’39
#Fat Bottomed Girls
Review:
I’m usually not a fan of tribute albums, unless I like a majority of the artists on the album, and obviously, unless I like the particular songs they’re covering. This one covers both, as I like quite a few of the bands on here (Gavin, Shinedown, Eleven, Joss Stone, Breaking Benjamin, etc) and the songs covered are some of my favorites as well.
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Tags: 2005, Hollywood, Jewel Case, Standard, Various Artists
Orgy – 2004 – Punk Statik Paranoia
By Eric | December 23, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Orgy
Title: Punk Statik Paranoia
Label: D1 Music
Released: Feb 24, 2004
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD
Release Type: Standard
Autographed
Tracklist:
#Beautiful Disgrace
#Vague
#Ashamed
#Make Up Your Mind
#Leave Me Out
#The Obvious
#Inside May Head
#Pure
#Can’t Take This
Review:
I finally picked up the third Orgy CD, four years to the day it was released. I don’t know it nearly as well as the previous two, but there’s some good stuff on here, and I think they went even a little darker sounding than they had previously.
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Orgy – 2004 – Punk Statik Paranoia
Tags: 2004, D1 Music, Jewel Case, Orgy, Standard
Aerosmith – 2005 – Gold
By Eric | December 23, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Aerosmith
Title: Gold
Label: Geffen
Released: Jan 11, 2005
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD
Release Type: Standard
Autographed
Tracklist:
#Let The Music Do The Talking
#My Fist Your Face
#Shame On You
#Heart’s Done Time
#Rag Doll
#Dude (Looks Like A Lady)
#Angel
#Hangman Jury
#Permanent Vacation
#Young Lust
#The Other Side
#What It Takes
#Monkey On My Back
#Love In An Elevator
#Janie’s Got A Gun
#Ain’t Enough
#Walk This Way
#Eat The Rich
#Love Me Two Times
#Head First
#Livin’ On The Edge
#Don’t Stop
#Can’t Stop Messin’
#Amazing
#Cryin’
#Crazy
#Shut Up And Dance
#Deuces Are Wild
#Walk On Water
#Blind Man
#Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees)
#Dream On
#Hole In My Soul
#Sweet Emotion
Review:
A Compilation of Aerosmith stuff that covers the Geffen years (1985-1997), so it doesn’t have any of the early hits. I bought this to cover myself, so to speak, for downloading a greatest hits set. 🙂
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Aerosmith – 2005 – Gold
Tags: 2005, Aerosmith, Geffen, Jewel Case, Standard
Seven Mary Three – 2008 – Day&nightdriving
By Eric | December 23, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Seven Mary Three
Title: Day&nightdriving
Label: Bellum
Released: Feb 19, 2008
Packaging: Digipack
Pack-in DVD
Release Type: Standard
Autographed
Tracklist:
#Last Kiss
#Laughing Out Loud
#Was A Ghost
#Dreaming Against Me
#Hammer & A Stone
#Break The Spell
#You Think Too Much
#Strangely At Home Here
#She Wants Results
#Upside Down
#Dead Days In The Kitchen
#Things I Stole
Review:
The new 7m3 disc.
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Seven Mary Three – 2008 – Day&nightdriving
Tags: 2008, Bellum, Digipack, Seven Mary Three, Standard
Jared Campbell – 2004 – Rest Out
By Eric | December 23, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Jared Campbell
Title: Rest Out
Label: Self Released
Released: Nov 1, 2004
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD
Release Type: Standard
Autographed Autographed
Tracklist:
#Rainy Labor Day
#Stay On The Line
#Only Getting Better
#Standing There
#Rest Out
#Sweet Jenny
#Drive On The Left Side
#Fate
#Life Is Good
#Don’t Waste It
#Take It In
#Catch A Glimpse Of Blue
Review:
The first full-length album from the Binghamton singer/songwriter.
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Jared Campbell – 2004 – Rest Out
Tags: 2004, Autographed, Jared Campbell, Jewel Case, Self Released, Standard
Jared Campbell – 2004 – Waterfront
By Eric | December 23, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Jared Campbell
Title: Waterfront
Label: S.A.M.
Released: May 1, 2004
Packaging: Cardboard Sleeve
Pack-in DVD
Release Type: Standard
Autographed Autographed
Tracklist:
#Rainy Labor Day
#If Only
#Down Under
#Never Knew
#Don’t Waste It On Me
#Dodgeball
#Stay On The Line
#Tiny Dancer
Review:
A live EP from the Binghamton singer/songwriter.
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Jared Campbell – 2004 – Waterfront
Tags: 2004, Autographed, Cardboard Sleeve, Jared Campbell, S.A.M., Standard
Velvet Revolver – 2007 – Libertad
By Eric | December 23, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Velvet Revolver
Title: Libertad
Label: RCA
Released: Jul 3, 2007
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD
Release Type: Standard
Autographed
Tracklist:
#Let It Roll
#She Mine
#Get Out The Door
#She Builds Quick Machines
#The Last Fight
#Pills, Demons & Etc.
#American Man
#Mary Mary
#Just Sixteen
#Can’t Get It Out Of My Head
#For A Brother
#Spay
#Gravedancer
#Don’t Drop That Dime
Review:
Velvet Revolver returns with a more complete album than Contraband was, although trying to listen to it all the way through sometimes is a challenge. All of the songs are good, but it just feels too long.
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Tags: 2007, Jewel Case, RCA, Standard, Velvet Revolver
Eddie Vedder – 2007 – Into the Wild
By Eric | December 23, 2013 1:00 am
Artist: Eddie Vedder
Title: Into the Wild
Label: J
Released: Sep 18, 2007
Packaging: Digipack
Pack-in DVD
Release Type: Standard
Autographed
Tracklist:
#Setting Forth
#No Ceiling
#Far Behind
#Rise
#Long Nights
#Tuolumne
#Hard Sun
#Society
#The Wolf
#End Of The Road
#Guaranteed
Review:
EV’s first foray into solo land is in the form of a movie soundtrack. Mostly acoustic stuff, but high quality.
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Eddie Vedder – 2007 – Into the Wild
Tags: 2007, Digipack, Eddie Vedder, J, Standard