Bastards & Rarities

Swell | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Badman Records
• ASIN: B000095IWE
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,329 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Come Tomorrow

2. Get Higher

3. This Is How It Starts

4. What I Saw

5. Hell No

6. Too Many Days Without Thinking

7. Comfort 48

8. Lifes Great

9. Just Get Well

10. Forget About Dean

Editorial Reviews

Bastards & Rarities culls songs from out of print EPs and 7-inch singles released during their early years of 1989 through 1994. Recorded on the second floor of a warehouse at 41 Turk Street in San Francisco, the album so evokes gritty realism that traffi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the most underrated band of the 90s, July 16, 2008

By 

M. James "Missy" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bastards & Rarities (Audio CD)

I can't recommend this CD enough to anyone who is a Swell fan, or anyone who is just getting into them, although it helps to partner it with ...Well? and 41 in order to get the gist of the b-sides. From the first moment to the last note, this collections of b-sides rates a stellar five stars. Can I just say here how incredible it was to hear the solo synthesizer playing out its notes in the beginning of "Forget About Dean" (a remake of "Forget About Jesus" from 41)? There is something about how they singled out that one instrument, a sort of intentional in-your-face display of the power it has on its own, alone, which just grabbed me. It changed how I listen to "Forget About Jesus". Whereas before, it was melded with the other instruments, now it seems to stand out above them. I love it. I love the intelligence this band has always displayed, whether through their lyrics or through the composition of the music. Sean Kirkpatrick is one of the most amazing drummers ever!

Swell is that rare band that you can't categorize, but the music they made touches me somewhere inside where I forget about all other music, ideas and concepts while listening. I particularly love the ongoing theme of ringing phones, distant traffic, street talk, whistling...Swell cleverly mix odd everyday noises into their music, and while it is well-mastered (and never overproduced) it still sounds like you're sitting in your neighbor's basement watching them rehearse. They really seem that close under the headphones. Side note: first time listeners should definitely use headphones for inaugural hearings--you catch things that you would otherwise be unaware of unless you have your stereo cranked to the max! And be sure the CD is DONE before you quit listening--otherwise you miss hidden tracks! A very cool part of ...Well? and 41 is how David Freel brings you into his world via long recorded pieces at the end such as listening to him walk from the studio to BART, or "A Rainy Night in August" and all the street noise which that one entails. It's blissy!

Swell are...swell. I own almost 2000 CDs, and the most-played CDs are 41, ...Well?, and Bastards and Rarities. I was fortunate to see them during their tour for 41. Funny, even here in Seattle, I think there were only about 200 people at the venue. They truly are the most underrated and overlooked band of the 90s. And they are so much better than so many of their peers at the time.

Swell's music takes me to a place that, more often than not, I never want to leave.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Band!!!, August 29, 2007

By 

Brent A. Clark - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bastards & Rarities (Audio CD)

Swell is an amazing band who somehow have not been noticed by many. This CD shows that even their B-Sides are excellent.