Transit Byzantium

Transit Byzantium

Editorial Reviews
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Utilizing Beatlesque harmonies and chord changes, a nod to Dylan and Prine, and rarely more than a pair of acoustic guitars, Fox's non-production showcases the songs rather than obscuring them with faux grandeur.

Tracks:

From A Dark Night
Down To Babylon
I'll Give It Away
Thinking Of You
Lay You Down
Song Of A Drunken Nightingale
Quartermaster's Wintertime
Sycamore
Mary Of The Wild Moor
All Dried Up
Dixie Darling
My Baby Crying
Burning Down A Snowflake
Bonded To You
Saga Of Bus Station Joe & Rag Luck Addie
Portland Town
For Anyone That You Love
When I Blow

Customer Reviews:

agreed: masterpiece.......2006-05-01

In agreeance with some of what is stated above; This record is breath-taking at times, and the duds are still miles above most of the "noise" out there today. Transit Byzantium will one day have it's time... a nugget of lo-fi bliss that will eventually be acknowleded as masterpiece that it is.

Great singer-songwriter.......2004-09-01

I find that singer-songwriters either put me to sleep, or make me prick up my ears. Thankfully, Bill Fox does the latter. This is really a great collection of tunes. Even though some of these songs inevitably turn morose (as is the perogative of said songwriters) they never lose their appeal. Many of these songs will stay with you; you'll find yourself humming or singing along afterwards. Shelter From The Smoke is a very worthwhile purchase, as well, although IMO this one is a bit more consistent. A great bargain at the used prices available here at Amazon.

The Modest Mouse.......2000-03-29

Bill Fox's follow-up to his 1997 comeback album, "Shelter From The Smoke," continues his venture into traditional American song, enhanced by the warm lo-fi sound. For three years in the late '80s, he fronted the Cleveland band The Mice. Before disbanding in 1988, they had two releases which would influence many other Ohio groups, namely Guided By Voices. You can hear some Robert Pollard in Fox's raspy vocals, as well as Bob Dylan and The Beatles. But rather than mimic their sound, he displays a similar mastery of songwriting. Recorded at home on a four-track, the songs features mostly acoustic guitar, harmonica, and some occasional percussive tapping. "Saga of Bus Station Joe & Rag Luck Addie" is one of the many folksy numbers, while "My Baby Crying" and "When I Blow" are the stuff of pop classics. If you enjoy Elliott Smith, Lou Barlow, or the GBV family, you should give this overlooked gem a listen. He also contributes to the wonderful Ohio lo-fi compilation "I Stayed Up All Night Listening To Records."

lo-fi masterpiece!.......2000-03-23

i have owned this album for about a year now... and i have just now decided that it is a complete masterwork! i have no idea why this album isn't at least a cult sensation...i mean, i don't even think anybody has even heard of this guy... the only reason i ever listened to it in the first place is because i worked at a record store and his label sent us a listening copy, and i was lucky enough to be bored on that day! this album is a sweet pop gem for fans of the byrds and/or guided by voices. the songs are lovely, his voice is super cool!...this one really makes me a believer in the "lo-fi" aesthetic because there is something about the scrappy way it sounds that adds so much to my enjoyment... i don't know why, but i feel confident that if these songs were produced for a radio sound they wouldn't mean half as much. this is really great music. buy it and be touched by some real emotion.

wow, dad........1998-07-12

my friend todd sez "this is the album that i wish r. pollard would put out" great, great tunes w/ (at times) really shaky lyrics. man, tho, this guy can sound like so many people and still be so beautiful in his own right. but he says "god and noah were buds/god saved noah from the floods."

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