Customer Reviews

Greatest Palace Music

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this disc. Different from other reviewers who seem to know BPB's former works well, I do not--and therefore had no expections. I just think his voice is fantasticly rich, his lyrics very thought-provoking and his musicianship stunning. Mind you, I enjoy the Nashville sound-- and this disc does the genre well conjuring a haunting and beautiful sound without the bleek depression. If you like country, you'll love this. If you're taken by all BPB's other stuff, this may require an adjustment. For my taste, this music fits wonderfully in my livingroom on a regular basis.

I have fallen in love with this album, from the first tone to the last. Oldham is a genius. Where his previous work made me feel bittersweet or melancholic, this album with the 'same' songs makes me happy all day long. Very rich, very nice. A perfect CD to start this summer. Oh, and Will proves he CAN sing!

This album is one of the most interesting takes that i've ever heard a performer take on his/her own songs. i love will oldham's work. he writes some of the most haunting, saddening songs ever. just beautiful folk music. now this album takes some of his best songs and turns them into traditional country songs. most of these songs originally use minimal instruments and the recordings are very low-fi. now this recording he uses traditional country instruments and the recording sounds very produced. this gives these songs a completely different feel. the original recordings are sad and simple. now they sound ornate and upbeat. these songs sound like they are completely different from their original recordings and this is a good thing. though they are not better than the originals, they give a new perspective that is nearly just as interesting to hear. if you want to hear will oldham for the first time i suggest "days of the wake," "lost blues," or "i see a darkness" (actually anything he's ever produced). if you already know will oldham and want to hear a new perspective on him, pick this album up with an open mind. it's different from anything else he's done, but definitely worth the purchase.

For what it's worth, not all country music is bad. Admittedly, though, this is something I've had to convince myself of over the years. But as someone who was forced to listen to country music as a child, I can honestly say it has never been my favorite form of artistic expression. In the early `90s, country artists, led mostly by Garth Brooks, began to suck the lifeblood out of what was truly known as "country" music and replaced it with something a little more pop-oriented. What has since remained is the same old cut-and-dry songs typified by boring storylines (which are not even remotely entertaining to the average intelligent person) and extremely basic instrumentation meant for mass-consumption. Only now it's been given the title "new" country (read: corporate country). Even the city folk are country now; all you need is some cowboy boots and an Alan Jackson CD and your instantly countrified. I'm lost.

Will Oldham, or Bonnie "Prince" Billy as he's called again this time around, has set out to create an album that attempts to rebirth songs from his early days of Palace Music. These new versions are decidedly more heavily produced than their predecessors and have taken on a completely new face. Be forewarned, this is 100% country music with zero "alt" added. Unfortunately, a large portion of the album could fit into the category of corporate sounding country music. Is it bad? Not necessarily. Additionally, the fact that Will Oldham has been hailed the quintessential alt-country artist may be the saving grace that will keep Greatest Palace Music firmly placed in the underground.

Recorded in Nashville with several session musicians, you have to admire Oldham for not holding back on the country. This is easily his safest recording to date and is miles away from the highly admired I See a Darkness. Because of this, don't expect to hear too much song-by-song analysis of this album from the critics. There's nothing groundbreaking about any of this album. Once into the first song, you'll have a pretty good idea of where you stand. For the most part, the scope is entirely the same throughout the entire album. In some ways, it parallels Beck's approach on Sea Change, where every sense of edginess has been removed to only highlight the purest form of music expression. It's also similar in the sense that it's the last direction you'd expect someone like Oldham to take. Or is it really just something that was inevitable from the beginning? Either way, it sounds as if it's the record he has always wanted to record.

If I had to be completely honest with you (which I do), I'd say that Greatest Palace Music is a pretty fantastic album. It accomplishes exactly what it has set out to do, and that's to be a country album that holds no surprises. Although it has a lot of things going against it, including the fact that Oldham's fans are not typically traditional country music lovers, it's pretty hard not to deny the fact that this is the type of album that will stand out in his catalogue for quite some time. It just misses in its impact too many times to truly be a great album.

I heard "New Partner" from this album on some internet radio station a while back, and knew then that I had just stumbled onto something great. Just based on how much that song instantly grew on me, I went ahead and bought the album. Like I said, I'm no country fan - never have been - and every friend started doubting their perception of me when they'd hear me listening to this album. I have since become a huge Bonnie fan and own many of his albums, but this one is still very special to me - it made me appreciate country music. I do like the 'rawer' versions of these songs from his earlier albums, but it's interesting to see what a vocal coach and session musicians brought out of him. I think it speaks volumes that this was my first album of his, as I still don't like country music. He is country/folk/alt - this album just focuses on the country. If you don't like country, consider yourself open-minded, and are a fan of this man, then it wouldn't hurt to give this one a try. You might be surprised at yourself.

somehow this release is very endearing. the richer production takes away from the barebones feel of days in the wake, etc., and it's in a way more effective, i think because it feels less pretentious, which is not to say ingenuine necessarily. calling this dude a genius is kind of like calling conor oberst the next dylan, but he is certainly very talented and a good wordsmith.

I read several months ago that Drag City were releasing a Palace best of. Of course Will Oldham can't just release a best of. He has to go down to Nashville, hire some session musicians at the top of their game and produce an album of Bonnie Billy interpretations of Palace songs. The end results are mixed, but for the most part "Sings" is a welcome addition to the Oldham stable.

Having confounded expectations with last year's "Master and Everyone" which split fans and critics firmly down the middle (I think it's one of Oldham's best) in which he seems to be channelling the late Nick Drake, and a series of very haphazard concert performances, Oldham has reworked his old Palace tunes to the point where they sound like Gram Parsons tunes. Count yourself confounded once again.

Most of the songs exhibit a strong late 60's Nashville flavor (just listen to his reworking of "Ohio River Boat Song"), while others merely fuller, more developed but instantly recognizable versions ("New Partner", "The Brute Choir"). Others are completely unrecognizable ("Pushkin", "You Will Miss Me"). But as with almost all of Oldham's output the songs are never less than interesting. Indeed, I think several of these new versions improve vastly upon their predecessors, and only one (the far too jaunty "I am a Cinematographer") doesn't work for me.

Perhaps not the best place to start listening to Oldham, but you could do far worse. I personally will be playing it again and again.

Like many people I know, I became interested in Will Oldham after hearing Johnny Cash's cover of Oldham's song "I See A Darkness." I went right out and bought the "I See A Darkness" album, as well as "Ease On Down The Road" and I loved them both.

When I explored a bit deeper into Oldham's back catalog, I found the presentation a bit more, um, "challenging." His brilliance as a songwriter is there, but his work prior to "I See A Darkness" is EXTREMELY (and I mean extremely) "lo-fi"--rambling, unfocused performances that sound like they were recorded underwater. I still own "Arise Therefore," "Days In The Wake," and "There Is No One..." but I can't say I listen to any of them very often.

So it was wonderful to hear this disc- the performances are tight and professional, and the greatness of the older songs really comes through. I *highly* recommend this to anyone interested in Will Oldham's music, especially if they find the sloppiness of his earlier albums off-putting.

If Leonard Cohen and Napoleon Dynamite could have a love child I think it'd be a lot like Bonnie "Prince" Billy.

This is a really fun album for folks who are already familiar with these Palace songs. The songs that were originally dark are still dark, but now they're fun and dark. The version of Cinematographer on this disc is celebrational! I would not recommend it as a starting place for anyone interested in Palace or BPB. But if you've already had an "in", then go ahead, buy one of these!