Customer Reviews

Changin' Tires on the Road to Ruin

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's been many years since I've been able to buy a new Superdrag CD. Let me say that when I heard about the CD, I was excited... But when I actually got the honest-to-God chance to buy this CD online, I was more than ecstatic.

From my experience over the years, there are many different levels of Superdrag fans (much like with other bands). In a brief nutshell, there are (category 1) fans who own an album or two, (category 2) fans who have all of their long-play albums, (category 3) fans who have all the albums AND some or all of the rare EPs, and (category 4) fans who have somehow managed to trade, or download, or sell their souls (and/or small children) to get any or every rare song out there that has graced the internet. I happen to fall in the last category with the other maniacal, soul-selling Superdrag fans.

So if you only own one or several of Superdrag's main long-play albums, then you've probably only heard a small handful of these songs. Yes, you folks in categories #1 and #2 will likely love this album as it's got a set of some of the sweetest songs that you've never heard (like "Here We Come", "She Says", and "My Day Will Come").

For those of you in category #3, who own a few of the EPs (like the Rock Soldier EP), those previously mentioned three songs may be familiar to you. Fret not, though because there are unearthed gems like "No Inspiration", "Doctors Are Dead", and "Comfortably Bummed" that will knock your socks off into the next room.

As one of the die-hards (category #4), I still think this is a great disc. This album captures on disc many songs that I had acquired in near-pathetic-quality mp3 form, thus providing me much cleaner versions to bathe my mind in. Honestly, this disc has a little bit for everyone, and a lot for Superdrag fans of all variety. The unique-sounding demo songs really emphasize (or should I say "de-emphasize") the previously released versions, making it interesting and entertaining to compare and contrast the differences. As mentioned before, the handful of freshly-mixed rarities seem to sound like new again in their crispier-and-more-listenable forms. If you've never heard these tracks before, you're surely in for a treat... but if you've heard them before as low-quality mp3s, then I STILL think you'll be in for a treat.

The live songs at the end of the CD may seem like filler, but since I was at that last show, they actually hold some nice sentimental value to me (much more than I thought they'd have initially).

Is this an album full of old material? Yes. Is this an album full of disposable material? Absolutely not. It has been way too long since there has been a "new" Superdrag record on the racks. For now, I'll definitely take what I can get. And this disc has a lot to offer.

There's spreading rumors that the original members of Superdrag may hit the road again for a reunion. Time will tell. In the meantime, you should buy this CD and bask in the sweets sounds of a band that hung their hats too early... And if things work out, the band may hit the road again and we may hear some of these rarities played live... (Hey, you never know?)

When I think of underrated bands, Superdrag is probably the first band that comes to mind. They were a blip on the radar in 1995 with "Sucked Out" and then faded from the public view. However, throughout the 90's and early part of 2000, Superdrag put out one of the best catalogs of power-pop albums and continued to top itself with each successive release.

The measure of a band is the quality of tracks they assemble when the public isn't listening. This collection of rarities and B-sides shows a band exceedingly gifted in writing hooky, power pop songs. To me, it speaks volumes about a band's songwriting capabilities when their "throw away" tracks are better than many bands' top tracks.

Standout tracks are "Comfortably Bummed," "No Inspiration," and "While the Rest of the World." Interesting add-ons are the demos of "Extra Sensory" and "Keep It Close To Me" as well as "I am Incinerator," which was later released as "I Guess It's American" on the Superdrag/Anniversary split EP.

On the whole, a nice retrospective of one of indie-rock's most under-appreciated acts. Much like a full studio album, this album displays all aspects of Superdrag's repertoire. Recommended!

Everyone has a 'best kept secret' band, for my money it would be hard to beat Knoxville's Superdrag.

Superdrag - their first album in 5 years, "Changin' Tires on the Road to Ruin" consists of leftovers and demo's that have finally seen the light of day. By all accounts it should not be as good as it is - heck I didn't think Superdrag would ever release another album! The band rip through some half-way decent material. Changin' Tires on the Road to Ruin will more than likely remain an underground masterpiece, however this or any other album the band have put out, should be part of any serious music fans collection.

Recommended.

If you're a Superdrag fan, this new collection of demos and assorted b-sides is a no-brainer, sure you've heard a lot of these songs before, but the ragged, raw, spontaneous quality of these demos - with nice remastered sound - makes them sound as a fresh as a loaf of bread just pulled from the oven. In other words, this CD is HOT! Now here's hoping for some NEW material - and a reunion tour? - from the late, lamented supergroup!

Wow. I didn't think I would like this album as much as I do (and I thought I'd love it).

I am one of those die-hard fanatics who already had pretty much all the demos one could get their hands on, but the quality of them is so poor, these are practically brand new songs. In other words, the mastering is excellent.

This album has been in my car cd-player, ipod, itunes, brain, etc. nonstop since the day I received it in the mail. I have a feeling that it will remain that way for a long time. Good-Music-Detectives, let that be a clue.

I strongly recommend this album for the following categories of people:

1) You like rock and roll music.
2) You like really good things.
3) You like buying really good things.
4) You like smart, catchy, absolutely beautiful songwriting with more than a touch of sadness, longing and nostalgia.
5) You have ears.

So honestly, if you fall into any of those categories, don't hesitate.

-Nathan Maas

Well you'd only be looking at this if you were already a fan of the most under-appreciated band of the nineties and oughts. For those fans, this is great collection of rarities, early versions, alternate takes and demos. If you are not yet a fan, I recommend 'In The Valley Of Dying Stars', then you'll be hooked like the rest of us and want to own everything they've ever done. BTW, the original lineup has reunited, toured and are recording a new album. Maybe this time they will get the recognition they deserve.

As a huge fan of Superdrag when all the original CDs came out, I was extremely excited when this b-sides and live tracks album came out. I was definitely not let down. The songs were everything I expected from the Superdrag I knew and loved and it was fun to listen to because, if you know their music, you can easily tell which of their original albums the track would have gone on. If you're a fan, this is a highly recommended addition to your CD collection!

I've been a Superdrag fan since their first major release in 96. I'm the type of fan where if I get into a band, I have to start collecting bootlegs of these bands, and Superdrag wasn't an exception. I started with Live Recordings and then I got into collecting "Demos". One thing can be said about Superdrag, they have enough demos to fill up 20 CDs if not more! And that's a good thing! :)
After getting really poor sounding mp3s and unknown generation cassette copies (remember cassettes?) of some of these songs, I was able to obtain upgrades from trading with people close to the band. But the release of this CD makes the sound quality sound a lot better of course. It's amazing to finally have on CD, "Here We Come","No Inspiration", "Keep It Close To Me" (4-track Demo), "Relocate My Satellites", "The Rest Of The World", and the unreleased gem "Doctors Are Dead" (which is worth the price of admission!!!), just to name a few.
There's still a rumour going round that a box set will be released. Of course, only the hard-core fans like myself would be interested in a Superdrag Box Set, but I feel they merit a Box Set release. There have been so many bands that never got their due that have box sets released or at least Remastered Edition CDs with bonus tracks such as The Zombies: Zombie Heaven Box Set, The Pretty Things: SF Sorrow Special Edition, The Misfits: Box Set.
I know this CD is just the tip of the iceberg and I would like to thank the band members that were involved (John & Don, I belive) for making this release possible. Your music really did inspire me, and it changed my life in a positive way. Who can say that about Britney Spears or the latest flavor of the month? Buy this album if you're interested in hearing unreleased gems by this band, but if you're really curious about checking out the band, get their masterpiece of an album "In The Valley Of Dying Stars", it's an amazing album, by an amazing band!