Customer Reviews

On Golden Smog

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While I do not hear what I have come to associate with with the amalgamated band in this initial release, its sound and its songs are well-done. It is not particularly good for any reason apart from sounding happy, making me enjoy classic rock without deep insight or limitations based on personal dislikes of certain groups. While I'd never buy a Thin Lizzy or Bad Co. album of my own, I wouldn't discredit these renditions for any Jayhawks or Soul Asylum song to take thier places. A good, fun thing.

Before "No Depression" became a genre, before Jeff Tweedy was even a member of Golden Smog, this EP was issued. It's a rough, boozy, heartfelt, passionately sloppy take on some rock n roll classics that adds up to more than the sum of its parts. What makes the EP significant is not the specific song choices, but instead the overall attitude and feel of the music. This is why alt-rock fans might enjoy this one even if they don't like the bands whose songs were being covered.

This EP coincides with Soul Asylum and The Replacements shifting away from fast-and-furious garage punk towards a sound inspired by folk and classic rock. This would ultimately meld into alt-country, with bands like Uncle Tupelo, The Jayhawks and later Whiskeytown taking the idea a step further towards classic country. Here, members of The Jayhawks, Soul Asylum and others try out the new sound while paying homage to some of their influences. The music is passionate in an offhanded way, as if the musicians weren't trying too hard but knew exactly what they were doing. I can almost picture the guys sitting around a room with bottles of beer laughing and having a good time while hitting the "record" button when inspired to do so. It's the way rock n roll was supposed to be made.

I think the current music scene is lacking in discs like this. It all sounds so sculpted now, or very intentionally lo-fi. There is precious little that sounds off-the-cuff. Sculpted, intentionally-crafted music is often great and really has its place, but there is no substitute for something like this as well. This music is like a cold beer. Savor it.

A precursor to their later super collaberation "Down by the Old Mainstream," this short and fun collection is a rocking must have for anyone whose ever admired the likes of Soul Asylum, Wilco, the Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Run Westy Run, or any other member of the No Depression, Wheatfield Soul movement. Combines the elements of rock, country/bluegrass and others to make a smorgesborg of sound.

This debut EP from the "supergroup", Golden Smog is actually very lacking....but only in it's brevity. This beautiful and rockin' disc is brought to you by members of Wilco, The Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, and Run Westy Run. But you wouldn't know that from the liner notes, due to contract stipulations they couldn't use their real names on this debut ( instead they use aliases created by combining their middle names and street they grew up on ) Luckily their real talent still shines through. And although all the songs on here are covers, the Smog breathes new life into these 70's rockers. "Son" opens the CD with a bouncy, fun hook that you can not help but tap along to. "Easy To Be Hard" is a slow ballad that explodes in the chorus and will bring a tear to your eye, no matter how hard you fight it back. Then we move on to " Shooting Star " , a cover so good that Bad Company called up the Smogsters and asked them record their next album for them since these guys play the material better than the Not-So- Good Corporation ever could. ( I can't back that claim up ) Anyway what it all boils down to is you're a fan of the No Depression " movement" and you need to know whether this one is worthwhile. So, I answer you by saying, if Wilco and The Jayhawks are your breed of cat....click that shopping cart icon. And if not, give it a try anyway, I bet it's better than that Britney Spears CD you're debating over......and cheaper too.

This is an older disk, so do not think that all Golden Smog work is poor. Clearly anything with Jeff Tweedy is of a superior class, and he is not on this album. Buy the newer stuff.