Customer Reviews

Losing Losers

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well this album is great to sit and hear a song writer like lou barlow with no buddy backing him up is a bold statement. when he was not playing with j mascus he was in his bed room trying to get his own identity down and here it is.you also get some early versions of some sebadoh stuff to.some of the music may get a little annoying at times but to really appreciate a album like this you have to know that he was not in a good place at the time.im glad he made up sebadoh after this and you can see how he progressed as a song writer and a music prodution person.i think this album is not for everyone its not really that hip or cool .so if you like acoustic folk terrorism youd love it...............................

Lou Barlow: superstar songwriter and just general master of all things lo-fi and personal. This title is tricky to come across but it is well worth the hunt. It may take a while to be able to sit through the whole thing, but once the melodies get stuck in your head - the noisy soundscapes even have a habit of doing that too - you will understand why you bothered. Rarely to performers treat their listeners to a look 'behind the curtain' of their creativity, here Barlow tears it down and burns it, gets your attention and says 'this is how i'm feeling! this is the truth!' and pulls it off with an undeniable air of carelessness that belies the songwriting genius on display. Songs such as "Cause for Celebration", "Old Wife Cried" and "Beyond the Barbwire" are beautiful folkish songs with integrity and gravity, they rub up against "I Feel Good About Me", "Try to Get What You Want" and "Take an Asprin" which are throw away ditties with just as much integrity and gravity. As such this is an album where everyone of the 43 tracks contributes to the whole and there is not (in my opinion) a dull moment in its entire 73 minuite running time. Essential listening for anyone who wants to hear how close to mental breakdown an artist can get to produce a masterpiece of self-expression.

Before Sebadoh, there was (to quote Dinosaur Jr.'s album You're Living All Over Me) "Lou and Lou alone in his room". The Original Losing Losers is an excellent collection of a young, and even then, hyper-sensitive (see track 26) Lou Barlow recording music at home, by himself (and sometimes with others). The CD includes a great instrumental track called "Freed Pig". One track to look out for is "Give Up", a song that appears as a more polished version on Sebadoh's Bakesale. This is Lou in a raw experimental stage. See where it all began. Recommended for anyone who is into Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, and Folk Implosion.