Customer Reviews

Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I fell in love with Slobberbone's "Barrel Chested" while riding in the Drive-By Truckers' van (volume at 11; they're huge Slobberbone fans), and could not believe how good it was. From there I backtracked to the amazing "Crow Pot Pie", and fell even deeper in love - but when I got my copy of "Everything...", I knew I had found a new 'favorite' band. There's not a song on here that doesn't make my Top 100 Songs list, and some are dangerously close to number one. The guitar solo on "Josephine" almost made me pass out the other day. This CD transcends genre - EVERY true music fan should have this CD in their collection.

Anyone who has ever been lucky enough to see this band live will never forget it. They are unquestionably one of the best live bands ever, mixing hard-driving rock and roll numbers with sweet, sad country. This album is good because it captures the feel of Slobberbone, as difficult as that is. Also check out their other two albums (my favorite is barrelchested--"your excuse" is the standout track) If nothing else, get this album so you know the songs when you see them play--it makes it even better. Oh, and be ready to have your heart broken into tiny jagged pieces when they play Josephine. You've been warned.

This release doesn't have the impact that Barrel Chested had. That's one of only two negative things I can say about Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today. I'll get to the other one later. Everything covers more ground than any previous release. The musicianship has improved yet again. Placemat Blues sounds like it could easily have been included on the Stones' Exile On Main St. Josephine is a wonderful cover of a song penned by Kevin Kerby of Mulehead, a childhood friend friend of Brent Best. I can't decide on a favorite yet, but the highlights include Lumberlung, That Is All, Josephine & Gimmie Back My Dog. The only song I didn't much care for was Lazy Guy. The vocal chores are shared by Patterson Hood(The Drive By Truckers). It would have been a great Drive By Truckers song, but it doesn't work so well with Brent and Patterson trading off.

If you enjoyed Crow Pot Pie & Barrel Chested I don't see how you could be disappointed with this brilliant effort. Slobberbone hasn't misfired yet! On a lighter note, this is the best cd cover I have ever seen! Barrel Chested would be nearly impossible to live up to...they came much closer than I would have thought possible. If you haven't heard Slobberbone yet, stop punishing yourself...check 'em out!

Just take a gander at the "other artists" list at the bottom of this review. Brent Best has really kicked it in on this album. After his last effort I wondered if he could exceed my expections...he has. A great musical story from Slobberbone. It can be scary but if you accept his story-telling you won't be disappointed. A fantastic effort that deserves more acclaim than it will receive.

Get this record. Buy it right now. And then be prepared to buy Barrel Chested, and the hard-to-find first major record, Crow Pot Pie. It's inevitable that after spending some time with Everything You Thought Was Right you'll wind up going back and getting everything else, and loving it just as much.

But the real story of this band is their blistering live performance. Their live sound really showcases that rare ability of a band to not only reproduce the instrumentation and sonic qualities of their recorded work, but to exceed it in live performance and add more energy. They're incredibly tight.

Tonight, they played the Sunset in Seattle. By the time they finished the last encore, the place was reduced to a smoldering pile of bricks. People stumbled away knowing they'd just seen a great band. And that's what a rock show should be like.

I would highly recommend any Slobberbone album. This is a really good band that I guess would be considered alt. country or at times cow punk. I first heard the album "Barrel Chested" and was hooked and ended up buying all their cds. As for the songs on this album, "Placemat Blues" just flat out rocks. "Gimme Back My Dog" is just a song I can listen to over and over for some reason, not sure why, just love this song. The song "Josephine" is a ballad that is absolutely brilliant that you must check out. Another really good slower song is "Lumberlung". If you are a fans of bands like Drive-By Truckers or The Bottle Rockets then Slobberbone is definitely worth checking out if you've never heard of them.

I have George Pelecanos to thank for my introduction to this Denton, Texas bar band. I was on his website looking for news about his next novel and I came across the name Slobberbone in an entry on what he currently had stashed in his iPod, so, out of curiousity (and a certain amount of fan loyalty) I ordered "Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today"; I figured if I liked it, I'd work back through their oeuvre.

From the first song on the CD, I was hooked. Slobberbone's "Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today" has sharp lyrics echoing a workingman's blues, rich, raw vocals, and instrumentation ranging from buzz guitars to reeling accordions, all working within music structured with memorable pop hooks. "Gimme Back My Dog" is the funniest break-up song I've ever heard and "Pinball Song" is so real it will give you a hangover vicariously.

Don't think that Slobberbone's wicked wit indicates they're one-dimensional, though. "Lumberlung" shows what they can do with a genuine and heartbreaking love song.

I've since gone back to "Barrel Chested" and "Crow Pot Pie" and have yet to be disappointed. These guys are the real thing.

This little beauty of a CD prit'near melted in my lil' player. I didn't take it out of the magazine for months. My girlfriend moved in and SHE loved them and they spent another three months in the machine. These guys are so very talented, it's kinda hard to explain without you having heard them. They all-out rock, but they're tight and smart about it, they don't rock out some big solo as an expression of the guitarist's ego. No. They place it well, it's clear that the songs are crafted into their cohesive wholes and not a series of good lyrics tatooed on the coolest riffs on hand at the moment. And talk about your swanky lyrics! They go from the tear-jerky, wistful "Josephine" to "Tilt-a-Whirl" (which isn't on this album, but that hardly detracts from the point) where his girlfriend can't pass up the blinking lights of a carnival and ends up ejected from the, yes, tilt-a-whirl, All the while he bemoans accusatorily "tilt-a-whirl, you took my girl." It's good clean fun. Just a little addictive. See them live if you have the chance, your ears will ring with glee.

I've apparently had my head SO in the sand. You see, I listen to lots of sounds similar to Slobberbone... So out of curiosity I went and downloaded a couple of their songs. I can't wait to buy this cd from them in person in 2 weeks. Just listen to Pinball Song and i DARE you to deny that you don't like it. (supposing that you are into this genre in the first place)

Their banjo picking technique is outstanding, their guitars anything from delicate and melancholy to all-out Marshall Stack screaming. I mean, you can feel the heart-rending wail of steel guitar as someone climbs a watertank tower to paint 'I love you' on it in the song Josephine, and you catch yourself wanting to bawl with him! (STORYTELLING, hello?) This is a good cd to sit on a tailgate and drink beer to. I love it ! I plan on doing that very thing, sooooon.

This is one of the greatest rock albums ever made. If buy this album and don't like it there is probobly something very wrong with you. Maybe you don't have a soul? Maybe society and it's educational system has failed you in some way? I don't really know you well enough to say for sure.