Western Electric

Western Electric Artist: Western Electric
Label: Gadfly
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 076605226121
EAN: 0076605226121
ASIN: B00004NRXM


Release Date: 2000-03-21

Western Electric


Related Categories:

Alt-Country & Americana Alt-Country & Americana
Categories | Country | Styles | Music
Folk Rock Folk Rock
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
Country Rock Country Rock
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock Pop Rock
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music
Alt-Country & Americana Alt-Country & Americana
Categories | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Tracks:

  1. Everything
  2. The Power Of Glory
  3. When I'm Out Walking With You
  4. Emily In Ginger
  5. 10-4
  6. Faithless Disciple
  7. Whirlwind
  8. Memory Captures Time
  9. Carousel Days
  10. Straight From The Heart

Similar Items:

  1. Little Victories
  2. Chris Hillman Tribute Concerts
  3. As Certain as Sunrise
  4. Gram Parsons Tribute Concert
  5. How Dark This Earth Will Shine

Amazon.com

The shadow of Beck is never far from any venture that attempts to fuse dance beats and samples with laid-back acoustic rock. But former Coal Porters/Long Ryders Sid Griffin's edge comes from his country leanings, so while the dance beats work their magic on the feet, they tend to be topped by steel guitars soaring skyward. Happily, all of this seems to have coincided with Griffin and songwriting partner Pat McGarvey hitting the top of their form with songs such as "10-4", "Love You Down," and "Carousel Days." For the cognoscenti, there's even an excellent previously unrecorded Gene Clark song and an appearance by Robyn Hitchcock to spice things up. The real reason to check this one out is simple: Sid Griffin has never sounded better. <I>--Johnny Black</I>

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Extremely alternative country! .......2006-10-03

You really can't pigeon hole this album into any genre, and that is only the beginning of its beauty. Every fan of alt.country and "No Depression" style music should give this a listen. Sid Griffin and the other wonderfully creative musicians on this album have combined different styles in a way I have not heard before. Roger McGuinn fans will be familiar with some of the electronic experiments he has done, especially on Limited Edition where he combined modern sounds with classic folk music, but the sonic beauty of the Western Electric album takes that to another level. Please listen to this on a GOOD stereo at a decent volume to fully appreciate it. You are missing something if you just listen to it in your car. The pedal steel guitar playing throughout is some of the most funky since Sneaky Pete Kleinow on the Flying Burrito Brothers album The Gilded Palace of Sin. The songwriting is superb and includes a Gene Clark song. Everything is a great topical song about the aspirations of new immigrants and their struggles. It's a very inspiring album and reminds me of the spirit of the 60s when optimism was unlimited and hard times ceased to get in the way of love and a youth culture determined to do it its own way.

4 out of 5 stars ...the thread unravels..........2000-10-23

Western Electric is the latest from Sid Griffin, formerly of the Long Ryders and the Coal Porters, and author of a great biography of Gram Parsons. Now relocated to London, Griffin has found local partners who have aided him in bringing forth the millenium version of the great sound pulled from the ether by Parsons, McGuinn, Hillman, Young, Dylan and the rest...and brought into the present with gorgeous songs and brand new sounds. This is really well worth hearing!

4 out of 5 stars A Grower.......2000-09-01

In the novel High Fidelity , a record that grows on you is referred to as a "grower," and Western Electric is definitely a grower. Give it one listen, you'll find it somewhat slower-tempo'ed than what you'd expect from Griffin. After two listenings, certain songs will begin to haunt you. After three, you will have been grown-upon. The album builds up, layer by layer, and though it's a cliche to say it, it is definitely a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. It will be one of those CDs you'll probably play once a day for three months, assuming you're sympathetic to the genre, you'll sing certain tunes at odd moments and even in public places, and then pull the CD out every once in a while because certain cuts will continue to haunt. An achievement for Griffin & Company.

2 out of 5 stars not what it could have been.......2000-05-23

I hate to say it, but the new band led by Sid Griffin (80s country rock pioneers the Long Ryders, the Coal Porters) just isn't that good. They start off promisingly with the dreamy opening track, but the slow, ethereal sounds get old fast, especially since the melodies aren't strong enough to hold much interest. Griffin was never the world's greatest tunesmith anyway, and here his slight songs get lost in a vaguely psychedelic C&W haze, like the Byrds on Quaaludes. I wanted to like this, but in truth it bores me to tears. The pseudo-spiritual lyrics don't help. The pedal steel work is very nice, however.

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