Decline of Country & Western Civilization Part II

Lambchop | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 11, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B000EPFCNQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,920 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

What inspired Kurt Wagner to make soul records on his back porch in Nashville? We may never know, but the songs the frontman has produced with his band Lambchop remain like none other, mixing up the usual buffet of slide guitars and mournful laments with slick horns, roof-raising falsettos and pure R&B gloss. This compilation reels in a collection of 18 b-sides and rarities from the group's back catalog, tracing an evolution that has seen the ever evolving line-up try its hand at everything from noisy indie rock to knees-on-the-floor gospel. Yes, sometimes the clever titles are better than the actual songs (really, it's hard to top "The Scary Caroler" and "Two Kittens Don't Make A Puppy"). But for those already familiar with Lambchop's broken soul music this set serves as both a useful history lesson and a treasure trove in which to discover cast-off gems such as "Gettysburg Address," "Loretta Lung" and the quietly vulgar "Smuckers." But where the hell is "Soakey in the Pooper"? --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description

Challenging the notion of what "Nashville" and "country" mean, the ever changing cast of Lambchop has turned out brilliant album after brilliant album over the last dozen years. This release is a collection of A-sides, B-sides, compilation tracks, and unreleased songs in a chronological compendium of a golden age in their career. Spanning 1994 to 1999, "Decline" centers around the weather worn and haunting voice of Kurt Wagner, the one constant in a band that numbers as many as twenty and as few as four, depending on the time or place. Discover a fertile musical history where Lambchop ties together influences as diverse as Porter Wagoner, Curtis Mayfield, and the Velvet Underground with contemporaries like Giant Sand, Vic Chesnutt, and Sonic Youth.