Checkered Past

Disc: 1

1. Just a Mario

2. Carb Day!

3. Sittin' on My Van at the Track

4. A.J. Gandhi

5. A.J. Bad Night

6. A.J. (This Is Quite True)

7. Sid Gurney: Infield Security

8. At the Race

9. Vaseline Alley

10. Old Speedway

See all 29 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. I Wanna Be Like Hef

2. Grandpa Whiskey (A Girl On Theology)

3. Girl on Theology

4. Talking Bob Knight Doll

5. Furburger

6. Laundry

7. Acid Country

8. Dumb & Dahmer

9. Freefall Sex from the Seventh Floor

10. Madge

See all 32 tracks on this disc

Checkered Past,Bob & Tom Show,Dc Ventures

The Two Tone Compilation: A Checkered Past

Average customer rating:

Complete Track & Artist List
Stop Your Messin' Around
A comprehensive primer for the unitiated
Good collection of British Wave-2 Ska

The Two Tone Compilation: A Checkered Past
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Second & Third Wave Ska | Compilations | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Ska General | Ska | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

1970s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music

1980s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Stereo-Typical: A's, B's and Rarities
Crazy Rhythms
Too Much Pressure
Ska Bonanza: The Studio One Ska Years
In the Studio

ASIN: B000003JCI
Release Date: 1993-11-16

Tracks:

Gangsters - The Special A.K.A.
The Selecter - The Selecter
The Prince - Madness
On My Radio - The Selecter
A Message To You - The Specials
Nite Klub - The Specials
Tears Of A Clown - The Beat
Ranking Full Stop - The Beat
Too Much Too Young - The Special A.K.A.
Guns Of Navarone - The Special A.K.A.
Three Minute Hero - The Selecter
Let's Do Rock Steady - The Bodysnatchers
Ruder Than You - The Bodysnatchers
Missing Worlds - The Selecter
Rat Race - The Specials
Rude Boys Out Of Jail - The Specials
Easy Life - The Bodysnatchers
Too Experienced - The Bodysnatchers
Stereotype - The Specials
International Jet Set - The Specials
Away - The Swinging Cats
Mantovani - The Swinging Cats
Sea Cruise - Rico
Do Nothing - The Specials
Maggie's Farm - The Specials

Tracks:

Ghost Town - The Specials
The Boiler - Rhoda
Jungle Music - Rico
The Feeling's Gone - The Apollinaires
Tear The Whole Thing Down - The Higsons
Ylang Ylang - The Higsons
Envy The Love - The Apollinaires
War Crimes (The Crime Remains The Same) - The Special A.K.A.
Run Me Down - The Higsons
Racist Friend - The Special A.K.A.
Bright Lights - The Special A.K.A.
Nelson Mandela - The Special A.K.A.
Break Down The Door - The Special A.K.A.
What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend - The Special A.K.A.
Window Shopping - The Friday Club
The Alphabet Army - J.B.'s Allstars
Raquel - The Specials
Braggin' And Tryin'' Not To Lie - Roddy Radiation And The Specials
Rude Boys Outa Jail - Neville Staples A.K.A. Judge Roughneck

Customer Reviews:

Complete Track & Artist List.......2004-02-03

Correct Title: "The 2 Tone Collection: A Checkered Past" 2CD

CD1
1. The Special AKA (The Specials) - "Gangsters" (2:44)
2. The Selecter - "The Selecter" (2:57)
3. Madness - "The Prince" (2:32)
4. The Selecter - "On My Radio" (3:16)
5. The Specials (featuring Rico) - "A Message to You Rudy" (2:51)
6. The Specials (featuring Rico) - "Nite Klub" (3:09)
7. The Beat (The English Beat) - "Tears of a Clown" (2:39)
8. The Beat (The English Beat) - "Ranking Full Stop" (2:47)
9. The Special AKA (The Specials) - "Too Much Too Young" (2:03)
10. The Special AKA (The Specials) - "Guns of Navarone" (2:25)
11. The Selecter - "Three Minute Hero" (3:00)
12. The Bodysnatchers - "Let's Do Rock Steady" (2:54)
13. The Bodysnatchers - "Ruder Than You" (2:50)
14. The Selecter - "Missing Words" (3:20)
15. The Specials - "Rat Race" (3:07)
16. The Specials - "Rude Boys Outa Jail" (2:37)
17. The Bodysnatchers - "Easy Life" (3:12)
18. The Bodysnatchers - "Too Experienced" (2:33)
19. The Specials - "Stereotype" (3:50)
20. The Specials - "International Jet Set" (4:12)
21. The Swinging Cats - "Away" (3:13)
22. The Swinging Cats - "Mantovani" (3:14)
23. Rico - "Sea Cruise" (3:02)
24. The Specials (featuring Rico & the Ice Rink String Sounds) - "Do Nothing" (3:39)
25. The Specials - "Maggie's Farm" (3:31)

CD2
1. The Specials - "Ghost Town" (3:40)
2. The Special AKA (The Specials) with Rhoda - "The Boiler" (5:42)
3. The Special AKA (The Specials) with Rico - "Jungle Music" (4:00)
4. The Apollinaires - "The Feeling's Gone" (3:45)
5. The Higsons - "Tear the Whole Thing Down" (3:22)
6. The Higsons - "Ylang Ylang" (4:55)
7. The Apollinaires - "Envy the Love" (4:03)
8. The Special AKA (The Specials) - "War Crimes (The Crime Remains the Same)" (3:43)
9. The Higsons - "Run Me Down" (3:47)
10. The Special AKA (The Specials) - "Racist Friend" (3:35)
11. The Special AKA (The Specials) - "Bright Lights" (4:10)
12. The Special AKA (The Specials) - "Nelson Mandela" (4:12)
13. The Special AKA (The Specials) - "Break Down the Door" (3:48)
14. The Special AKA (The Specials) - "What I Like Most About You is Your Girlfriend" (4:49)
15. The Friday Club - "Window Shopping" (3:58)
16. J.B.'s Allstars - "The Alphabet Army" (3:09)
17. The Specials - "Raquel" (1:56)
18. The Specials (with Roddy Radiation) - "Braggin' and Trying Not to Lie" (3:21)
19. Neville Staples (Judge Roughneck) - "Rude Boys Outa Jail" (4:04)

This is the best 2nd Wave Ska (UK) compilation out there, period. It contains all the singles from the 2 Tone imprint (except Elvis Costello because of copyright constraints). Chances are, you've heard most of these on the radio at one time or another, back when radio was still ska-friendly (what happened?). Now if they'd just release a 1st Wave (Jamaica) and 3rd Wave (Orange County, California) true to this idea, we would all be in ska heaven. This is absolutely essential, and if you don't have it already, you need to buy it yesterday.

Stop Your Messin' Around.......2003-08-25

Like the Ska scene of the late 70s and early 80s this package is dominated by the Specials, and rightfully so. They had bounce, a great horn section and, like their contemporaries the Clash and the Sex Pistols they had brains in their heads. That's a wicked combo.

The first disc has the more earthy and rough-hewn records that were popular in nightclubs on both sides of the Atlantic; most of the great stuff from the first couple of Specials LPs, the Beat's excellent cover of Smokey Robinson's "Tears of A Clown"---too bad "Save It For Later" couldn't have been included--and a few tunes from The Selector help make it a classic side.

Despite some inspired selections, the second disc is too slick and decidedly less interesting. Again, the tunes from the Specials carry the day--"Ghost Town" may have been the best thing the Specials ever did--but the Apollinaires, Higsons, and the Friday Club sound like filler to me.

Overall, though, A CHECKERED PAST gives an accurate and lively insight into what I consider the Golden Age of British Ska. If nothing else, it's a great overview of the Specials under rated career.

A comprehensive primer for the unitiated.......1999-09-12

Now that ska has infiltrated modern alternative radio in every way shape and form, perhaps it is due time to return to the source. The 2 Tone Collection is a nearly flawless overview of Britain's initial ska craze of the eighties. From the archetypical white boy swagger of Madness ("The Prince" is included, though "One Step Beyond" is unfortunately absent), to the dynamic girl vocal bands like The Selector (wherein we can clearly hear where No Doubt's Gwen Stefani copped her vibrato inflected vocal style). And of course there is the timeless, "A Message To You Rudy" by The Specials. The Apollinaires, The Higsons, JB's Allstars, The Bodysnatchers, and on and on: all of the once vital ska acts are represented here. The recent ska revival (which has now seemingly morphed into the swing revival) owes a lot to these obscure acts of yesterday, who manage to combine elements of reggae, swing, latin, and motown into one rude stew. As The Bodysnatchers proclaim: "Let's Do Rock steady!"

Good collection of British Wave-2 Ska.......1998-09-16

This is an exiting collection of wave 2 Ska. There are some great incusions by The Selector, The Body Snatchers, and others. This is Ska as I remeber it in the early eighties. There are selections that lean a bit towards disco and could have been left out, but overall there are plenty of good Ska songs to select from and some greats Ska beats to dance to!

Why Do Lonely Men & Women Want to Break Each Other's Hearts?

Average customer rating:

Very Well Done !
Excellent cry-in-your-beer country
Let's hope the Boys get back together
great band
Twang

Why Do Lonely Men & Women Want to Break Each Other's Hearts?
Star Room Boys
Manufacturer: Checkered Past
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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This World Just Won't Leave You Alone

ASIN: B00004HYOY
Release Date: 1999-11-02

Tracks:

Gastonia
Was There Something In Her Eye?
Both Our Towns
It Belongs To You
Why Do Lonely Men And Women Want To Break Each Other's Hearts?
Souvenir
New York City Isn't Going Anywhere
The Liar In My Heart
Foolish
Tell Me About The Blues
Almost Doesn't Count
Blue Marie
Someone's Playing Our Song

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

These Georgia boys have old-school country down pat, full of whining pedal steel, biting guitar, and most importantly, Dave Marr's tortured vocals. Not for the weak of heart, Marr's songs update the tear-in-your-beer honky-tonk aesthetic, but they have an emotional depth and sincerity that make them stick in your head. --Marc Greilsamer

Amazon.com

Somewhere between Dwight Yoakam's yearning twang and Richard Buckner's pained warble is Dave Marr's soulful and emotion-soaked moan and whine, used to great effect on this Athens, Georgia, quintet's sharp debut. The sound borrows heavily from the edgy and crisp Bakersfield style, with only the slightest hint of cool to soften the edges of Marr's sad shuffles and sadder ballads. With Philip McArdle's electric guitar and one-time Two Dollar Pistol Johnny Neff's steel snapping back and forth behind him, Marr dissects the failed and failing relationship across 13 straight-shooting originals that are wise enough not to even try to answer the title's rhetorical question. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

Very Well Done !.......2006-01-23

For this many people to have written reviews for a group you have never heard of is a testament to how good this CD is . Relisten to it about every 3 months and its just as good each time .

Excellent cry-in-your-beer country.......2005-08-21

I don't listen to much country music so I'm definitely not an expert, but I really like this CD. The singer has the perfect tortured inflection to his voice for this kind of old-school country. Each song is another heartache rendered by a group of very good musicians. If you're tired of the current crop of pop-country music, you should give The Star Room Boys a try.

Let's hope the Boys get back together.......2004-05-30

These guys are great. I wish I had of caught them live while they were still together. I've have both the SRB CDs and never tire of them. If you like a classic country sound, I can't imagine you not loving this CD. I don't know of any other contemporay performers that do straight-up stuff like this. Fingers are crossed, hoping Dave Marr's artistic life isn't over.

great band.......2003-10-20

This is the best band that no one has ever heard of. Fans of country and fans of rock both will love both of the Star Room Boys discs. Too bad they have broken up. They really had something truly special.

Twang.......2003-06-05

Twangy album. If you found this review you're obviously interested in the now defunct Athens, GA outfit. Both of their albums are great with this one edging in first place.

Average customer rating:

An album that actually made me cry...
Best Underground Band
Four years is too long!
Far and away the best from the Ponys
Great songs

Some Stupid with a Flare Gun
Ass Ponys
Manufacturer: Checkered Past
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Lohio
The Known Universe
Electric Rock Music
Grim
Funeral Dress

ASIN: B00004S800
Release Date: 2000-04-11

Tracks:

Pretty As You Please
Astronaut
Fighter Pilot
Love Tractor
Your Amazing Life
Sidewinder
Swallow You Down
X-tra Nipple
Magnus
Casper's Coming Home
Kitten
Between The Trees

Amazon.com

After four years out to pasture, the Ass Ponys re-emerge with a new album and label, but with the same ol' down-home, indie-angled rock that fans have come to expect. Some Stupid with a Flare Gun--this Cincinnati-based band's fifth album in 11 years--doesn't stray far from its predecessors, relying heavily on the Ass Ponys' particular brand of tongue-in-cheek twang, especially on the tracks "Pretty As You Please" and "Magnus." However, they do dare stylistic departures; "X-tra Nipple" bubbles with Ramones-like verve.

The album, whose title is a reference to Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water," brims with morbid, nostalgic ballads, peculiarly wrought characters, and religious imagery. Strong--and often lush--musical performances by Bill Alletzhauser, Randy Cheek, and Dave Morrison make Some Stupid pure aural joy; Chuck Cleaver's gritty and sweet vocals and lyrical magic keep you from getting too comfortable. Judging by the yarns Cleaver spins, one might believe that his childhood bedtime stories were written by Flannery O'Connor. --Cintra Pollack

Customer Reviews:

An album that actually made me cry..........2006-03-24

I paid over fifty dollars for this cd on ebay...yes I know that I could have gotten it cheaper. At the time, next to the Tragically Hip, AssPonys were my favorite band. I was already well versed in "Electric Rock Music", having bought it years ago, and "Known Universe", having been pleasently surprised years after the fact. I got so into "Known Universe", that the Ponys became my favorite band. If you toil life away in a small town, like I've done the majority of my 28 years; then this will quickly become the soundtrack that allows you to say, "hey, I'm here: are you there?"
Chuck Cleaver is a lyrical genius, in the fact that he has the ability to communicate such powerful emotions using the simplest language available. And while art has taken a downturn the last several years;(personally, I blame Britney Spears) listening to any AssPonys album is always a treasure.
For me, this is their most personal album, and when I hear people whispering their secrets; I want to know the story behing them...
This album opens with "As Pretty AS You Please", an alt-country ditty that's just as shocking as any Johnny Cash song ever produced. They move on, through their obvious single "Astronaut" to a muddied middle of the album that you NEED to be a fan of the band's to digest. Then, with "Swallow You Down", the Pony's seem like they are trying to make it work...
And they do; with "Casper..." and "Kitten"...these songs are filled with such pangs of loss, that you cannot listen to them and not be affected.
I have tried my damnest, corresponding with all the insiders to understand these two songs...but I haven't gotten a decent answer yet.
And I don't want to pry any farther...
Why buy AssPonys?
Because you're moved by something that struck you, specifically, as being so beautiful and so amazing that it captured your rapt attention.
And when I heard "Kitten". it seemed like the leader singer (Chuck Cleaver) was singing to a daughter that died. It actually made me cry...
I'm a big, tattoo'd guy. I shouldn't be crying...

Best Underground Band.......2002-05-20

This is one of the greatest underground bands around. Although they do not really care if they become "famous" they are in the business for the one true reason of music, to make and perform it for the enjoyment of others. The albums they make are well rehearsed and produced and very professional. The music they make is truly alternitive, not this mainstream stuff passed off. If you like this album check out Electric Rock Music with their only hit Little Bastard. These guys are great! Enjoy and get 'em while you can. You won't regret it.

Four years is too long!.......2000-07-31

Can you believe that its been four years since their last offering? This is by far their best album. It edges out their classic Electric Rock Music, sadly out of print. This one hits home harder. It's like that book by Sherwood Anderson...Winesburg, Ohio. There all of these interesting characters and stories coming from and inspired by living in a small rural midwestern town. The songs are better this time, even the instrumental one is great. This time the characters are a little stranger, creepier , darker , funnier, & a little too familiar, they hit home and draw you into their world. Chuck can sing well, and that's an understatement. He's got this voice with a high lonesome tone to it. It can break your hear and make you laugh a little too...perfect. The band is very capable with a strapping guitarist. Let's hope the next one isn't four years away. Best rock album of the year...in my humble opinion.

Far and away the best from the Ponys.......2000-06-20

After a lengthy hiatus the Ass Ponys are back and better than ever. The quirky, haunting lyrics of the dark underbelly of the heartland are still here, but are now matched with somewhat more accessible melodies. The Ponys inject some of the pop sensibility that catapaulted "Little Bastard" onto the national radio scene into many of the outstanding tracks from this effort. "Astronaut" and "Swallow You Down" are surefire singles if they ever get any radio play.

Great songs.......2000-04-25

Spooky, emotional, sometimes funny stuff. "Your Amazing Life" is gorgeous, and "Astronaut" should be on the radio. This is a fine album that should be heard.

Average customer rating:

The Boys do it again

Torture
Spanic Boys
Manufacturer: Checkered Past
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Roots Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
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Dream Your Life Away
Strange World
Early Spanic Boys
Spanic Boys
Sunshine

ASIN: B000059LEB
Release Date: 2001-02-20

Tracks:

When You Fall
Gotta Get Back
Little Lies
Doing What They Tell You
The Man Who Hates The World
Your Heart's Not In It
Gonna Be Long Gone
Over You
Loser Blues
For Once In My Life
She's The Kind Of Girl

Album Description

Father and son duo, Spanic Boys are not standing still and if you think you know them, you'll be surprised by 'Torture'.This album of all new material features their hardest-rocking sounds to date, with the trademark close harmonies, screaming Fender guitars, catchy and cleaver original songs and a straight-ahead devotion to American Rock-N-Roll. Gatefold digi-pack. 2001 release.

Customer Reviews:

The Boys do it again.......2001-02-25

The Wisconsin father-son team of the Spanic Boys have done it again. They have released yet another collection of rockin' and rollin' songs. With one part surf-a-billy guitars and one part heartland rock and roll, they serve up some of their best songs since their 1993 release 'Dream You Life Away'. In fact, the new song 'Little Lies' from this disc may be one of the best songs they've ever recorded. They even included a re-worked version of 'She's the kind of girl' that surpasses the original.

Tracks:

Last Night It Snowed
Kung Fu Reference
Donald Sutherland
Black Dot
Dried Up
Only
Fire In The Hole
(Baby) I Love You (Baby)
Calendar Days
Baby In A Jar
Dollar A Day
Butterfly
Nothing Starts Today
Bonus Track

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Ass Ponys were local heroes in their native Cincinnati and then one-hit wonders with the 1995 alt-rock radio smash "Little Bastard." But with Lohio and its predecessor, Some Stupid with a Flare Gun, the group solidified its standing as a first-rate purveyor of smart roots rock played with heart and a goofy grin. Like Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, Ponys singer and songwriter Chuck Cleaver has a pinched tone and a penchant for telling weird tales. On Lohio he sings with equal passion about old TV shows and morphine fixes, dead babies and forgotten crushes. Confessional songwriting may be increasingly dominated by smirking ironists and self-serious sad sacks, but thankfully, Ass Ponys never got the memo. --Anders Smith Lindall

Customer Reviews:

their best yet.......2004-04-20

If you purchase only one Ass Ponys record, make it this one. Chuck Cleaver's much-mellowed vocals and excellent writing should win some new fans while still pleasing the die-hards. Expertly played and beautifully recorded, Lohio paints a more cohesive picture than previous releases. From start to finish, it utilizes the rural midwestern landscape as a backdrop for its carefully crafted vignettes. From first snow to late summer longing, the focus glides from one memory to the next until they start to feel remarkably like your own.

More urbane critics like to describe (read: dismiss) the subject matter as "quirky", "dark", "wacky"...i.e. too fantastic, too homespun, too whatever... But maybe I should cut them some slack... Maybe they never grew up in the middle of nowhere, and so Cleaver's personal recollections probably do sound more like fairy tales.

But I don't know... Sweetness, regret, morphine, Jesus. Sounds like a typical day to me. Told with just the right amount of sincerity and humor by four guys who get the joke.

Tremendous.......2003-08-09

Great production, fantastic songwriting, terrific variety of songs, excellent musicianship by the band. This is by far the Ass Ponys best, did they really have it in 'em all this time, to be this good?!? I agree with a previous reviewer, though - shame about the cover. When I listen to it in my cube at work, I always make sure I have the back of the CD case facing up. Buy it for the music!

Depression never sounded so good........2003-06-08

What a wonderful album. The Ass Ponys prove once again that while they aren't afraid of the dark, they don't mind a little sunlight too. "Lohio" burns with lazy summer-day regret, as song after song peels away another layer of depression - the alone-on-Friday-night malaise of "Kung Fu Reference," the aching nostalgia of "Dried Up" and "Calendar Days," the sad sad descent into hospice morphine addiction of "I Love You." But the Ponys tackle their subjects with clear-eyed honesty and humor, and song after song comes alive with exuberance and poignancy.

It sounds great, too. The Ponys write with incredible economy (their favorite progression is I-IV), which allows them to have all kinds of fun with goofy arrangements and offbeat instrumentation. They haven't forgotten how to rock hard, either - check out "Last Night it Snowed," the song Wilco has been trying to write for years. But it's their tender and wise take on depression that keeps me coming back to "Lohio." When you're having one of those days where you wake up and just know nothing's going to happen, play the Ass Ponys. It's good to know they're out there, and they're on your side.

Depression never sounded so good........2003-06-08

Midwestern Misery.......2002-08-21

Last Night it Snowed, which kicks this [album] off, has the title of the Stroke's first big hit in it. The former is about eight times better than the latter, and should have been a huge radio hit. While the second song sounds like New York punk from the late seventies, the first sounds like AOR from the early seventies. The song is about waking up after what may be the best night of your life and realizing it may not happen again and your going to have to get back on your feet again. The music that backs it up; mandolins, violins, banjos, and harps, is gorgeous. The song bridge turns it into a fistpumping anthem like something from Who's Next but much more harsh and punkish.
The rest of the album follows suit, quiet folky passages are interupted by Crazy Horse electric guitar. The Ponys never take themselves seriously, Chuck Cleaver sings about B-movie stars, Buffet busters, and ten year old pyromaniacs. This album is twelve times as big hearted as anything by the pixies or pavement.

Average customer rating:

The new soul man of country music
Paul Burch swings old-style.

Wire to Wire
Paul Burch & the WPA Ballclub
Manufacturer: Checkered Past
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Pan American Flash
Fool for Love
East to West

ASIN: B00000DCJH
Release Date: 1998-10-06

Tracks:

Winner's Circle
Drifting Texas Sand
Rosa Lee
I Am Here
Borrowed And Broke
Percy Lynn's Run
Some Of These Days
Ring The Bell
I Turned A Corner
This Time Next Year
When You Go Wrong
Disciple
Walking To McCourey
Long Tall Glass Of Water

Amazon.com

"This old horse can't play favorites," croons this Nashvillian singer/songwriter wryly on the opening track of his second Checkered Past long-player. If Burch's style suggests an older country music, the magically understated sound of Jimmie Rodgers and Tex Ritter, there's not a trace of camp or retro pretension in his songs or voice. His original material shows that rare, light touch with a melodic hook and subtle instrumental arrangements. "Borrowed and Broke," for instance, rolls with pumping harmonica and snug harmonies while Paul Niehaus's steel licks percolate through the Western swing- informed "Some of These Days." There's nary a misstep in these 14 songs, a rare thing, whether in mainstream or alternative country. In the end, what's most refreshing about Wire to Wire is the way it reminds one of the inexhaustible joy and deceptively simple beauty in classic country idioms, and builds on them with the talents of a gifted, truly individual songwriter. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews:

The new soul man of country music.......2000-02-26

Wire to Wire is a record that says more to me with each listen. It's beautifully crafted, beautifully written, and sung with an off-handed charm that hardly any kind of American music has anymore. I saw Burch and the WPA Ballclub in a coffee house in Austin completely unplugged playing for twenty people. It was about the best thing damn thing I've ever heard.

Paul Burch swings old-style........2000-01-02

Paul Burch is a terrific singer-songwriter. Though a resident of Nashville, he's not its product. Instead he reminds us of what used to make Nashville great. Burch takes you down paths nobody seems to remember and he shows you the beauty of what's been forgotten.

Average customer rating:

Solid Country Rock Album
Terribly underrated and overlooked band.
waiting in massachusetts for more music from hadacol!
The Perfect CD
It doesn't get any "Better Than This"

Better Than This
Hadacol
Manufacturer: Checkered Past
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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All in Your Head

ASIN: B00000G5PU
Release Date: 1999-09-28

Tracks:

Better Than This
Big Tornado
Somebody Lied
What You Wanted
Poorer Than Dead
It'll Work Out Fine
Messed Up
Drive All Night
Cheap Liquor
Rebel Boys
Carry On
Pappy

Amazon.com

Roots rock with a difference, Hadacol's Better Than This surveys a wide landscape of twangy rock & roll, pulling out musical allusions to Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Jerry Lee Lewis piano, and Luther Perkins guitar, and then rigging it all up to straightforward lyrics of unexpected vividness. Swerving between contented hope and a cynic's conviction that everything's forever screwed up, these 12 songs--built around four-piece rock but with occasional accents of mandolin, B-3, and pedal steel--each hit the highway in search of a reason to believe. "You got your tips and your graveyard shifts and I've got these seven bucks an hour," Hadacol sing on "Drive All Night," "but you know none of that really seems like a reason to stay." --David Cantwell

Customer Reviews:

Solid Country Rock Album.......2002-10-18

Hadacol's "Better Than This" is a first rate alternative country album that unfortunately got lost in the shuffle somehow. These guys have a deft songwriting touch enlivened by a self-effacing sense of humor. The album's standout track is "Big Tornado," in which the twister of the title track serves as a metaphor for a relationship gone bad. Other excellent songs include the redneck anthem title track, the road romance of "Drive All Night," the rocker "What You Wanted," and "Poorer Than Dead." The rest of the material isn't quite as strong, but the whole album holds up well. Fans of fellow Missouri bands The Bottle Rockets and Nadine ought to be right at home with "Better Than This."

Overall, an excellent alternative country album that deserves a wider audience.

Terribly underrated and overlooked band........2001-02-25

Hadacol write great songs, play them with energy and enthusiasm, and are just plain good. So why haven't more people heard of them? Well, they're a small independent band from Kansas or St. Louis (not quite sure which) and they're on a small (but excellent) record label, Chicago's Checkered Past Records...and no, I don't work for Checkered Past, I just dig their stuff.

The title track on this disc reminds me a lot of Wilco, and is immediately catchy. The rest of the disc is more

roots based, but is equally as good. 'Rebel Boys' is one of my other favorites on this disc.

Hopefully with the release of their new album this summer (summer of 2001), they will finally win over the big audience they deserve.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this CD.

waiting in massachusetts for more music from hadacol!.......2000-12-20

i bought this cd on the strength of a review in country standard time and because the band is named for the product that hank williams touted on the radio. every song on this is heartfelt and energetic, and i listen to the cd whenever i'm near my player. my favorite cut is "pappy," which highlights how tuneful and clever this band is. more, please!

The Perfect CD.......2000-05-01

I may be biased because one of the guys in the band is my neighbor, but these guys are great. See them live if you can. They do a great cover of Ring of Fire.

It doesn't get any "Better Than This".......1999-02-11

Wow! Where has Hadacol been all my life? I just finished listening and I can still feel their Rock and Roll energy reverberating through me. "Better Than This" seems to have something for every music fan. Need to shake off the remnants of a long, hard day at work? Turn up the sound to "Messed up" or "It'll Work Out Fine" and feel the healing powers of Hadacol. Life got you down? At least you don't have a "Big Tornado" headed straight for your trailer; hell, even if you do, just crank up the volume, close your eyes and ride that baby out, Hadacol style! This is one twister warning you'll definitely look forward to hearing on your local radio station.

I've heard a lot of records in my day, and this one reins supreme! I can't wait to hear more, and more, and more from this band. Hope that you all enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks, Hadacol!

Tracks:

Love Is Not Blind
Do You Think About Me
Point Of No Return
Waltzing On The Titanic
Different Shades Of Gray
What Went Wrong
My Mother's Husband
Heaven's Gate
Too Much Time
Someone Watching Over Me
The Plans We Made
Call My Name
Sleepless Nites

Customer Reviews:

The best of the best!.......2002-08-16

This cd is unbelievable. I reviewed this a year ago and it's even better today. I've listened to tons of music in my life and if you ask me my favourite all-time album, this is it!, hands down. Pure country rock, raw as hell, awesome guitar work(Tim Carroll), and even better lyrics,(downwright vicious lyrics.) Not too many musicians can do to me what this guy does. It's criminal that Bob's not better known, but that might also be a good thing.

One of My Favorites.......2001-09-20

I love this Cd from Bob's lonesome twang to his caustic, cynical lyrics. I listen to a lot of country and alt. country and this is one of the best. Someone done you wrong? Done someone wrong? Crying in your beer? This is a CD guaranteed to make you feel better. Lyrics that hit you where you live coupled with a driving country-rock beat.

A Blazer Of A Disc.......2001-07-16

Exellent.This Is Rowdy Country Rock At It's Best,Nothin Fancy,Just Great Music.The Lyrics Are Good,Surprisingly Good.The Guitarist On This Disc Is TIM CARROLL,And If You Can Pick Up His Cd's,Do It Cause This Guy Is By Far The Best Roots Rocker Out There.If You Want To Know To Find His Stuff,Drop Me A Line,You Wont Be Sorry.Anyway,Lonesome Bob's Only Problem Is He Doesn't Have Enough Music Out There.

A darkly moving effort.......1999-11-29

I was very impressed by this first effort from Lonesome Bob. Unlike much of the popular country music, Lonesome Bob's songs are well-crafted, thought provoking and darkly comic. I especially enjoyed the harmonies provided by Bob's back up singer. I look forward to more music from Lonesome Bob in the future. Thanks for offering this CD on amazon!