Love Is Hell

Ryan Adams | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 4, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Lost Highway
• ASIN: B0001ZMX68
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,277 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lost Highway should be ashamed..., May 5, 2004

By 

W. Price "bobharris1" (Senatobia, MS United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Is Hell (Audio CD)

I, as I imagine most Ryan Adams fans, bought the Love is Hell e.p's seperately. I must say I was a bit surprised to see this in the stores yesterday (along with a bonus track!!!).
Well Lost Highway, what gives? Initially, you guys felt that this album wasn't worth releasing. Since then you've broken it in half and forced the fans to purchase each seperately and now you are releasing it as a whole and cohesive album (as it should of been in the first place) and trying to intice the fans to give you more of their hard earned money by placing an extra track on there... and this is what really kills me...Lost Highway has put a sticker on the CD that says, "...as the artist originally intended...". Are they serious??? If that is indeed how they truly feel then why the "Hell" wasn't it released this way to begin with?
Lost Highway should be ashamed of themselves.
Hey, this is a GREAT album and I would recommend it to anyone, but I still feel cheated. I shouldn't have to buy this album three times!!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shadowland, March 29, 2006

By 

Joseph Friend (Oxford University & Maryland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Is Hell (Audio CD)

I am sad to say that I LOVE this album. The reason why is because I cannot find any other Ryan Adams CDs that are even comparable to this masterpiece. I have spent little over a year listening and absorbing so much from these recordings.

I do find the CD to be somewhat depressing but there is an overwhelming uplifting aspect to the entire CD. For instance in `Shadowlands,' the beginning of the song really does sound like Adam is in the abyss crowded amongst tragedy and sorrow. Then, slowly his voice begins to shed the reverb, it sounds as though Adams is lifted and startlingly enough right here with us, which the music supports as well. He transcends his suffering into something so much greater and ultimately enjoyable for a listener.

I could go on about each one of his songs in such a way that is inescapable once you sit down and listen. Of course it still has all the enjoyable aspects of just pleasant music that don't require a listener to analyze every song. But if a listener would just take on the task of trying to figure out what the hell happened to Adams before/while writing this record then this record would become so much more than just a compilation of well crafted songs.

I mentioned this before, this album is completely different from his others and Adam's fans generally don't understand it. I find that extremely disappointing since his most skilfully crafted piece of work is but more than a cold murmur to them. There are some similarities to 29 but it doesn't feel as natural (I don't mean to suggest either improvised or planned) and sincere as `Love is Hell.'

I suggest if you are unfamiliar with it, get this record, start it on track six, once the CD is over start from track 1 and just let it unfold for you. A timeless masterpiece and personal favourite trust me.

-Friend

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love may be hell but it sounds fantastic, November 29, 2004

By 

Michael Henshaw "poppundit" (Sarasota, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Is Hell (Audio CD)

I purchased this album in the two parts. Part 1 came out the same day as Rock n Roll and Part 2 came out a month later. After listening to both Rock n Roll and Love is Hell, I like Love is Hell more. There's a great deal of thought and soul that went into Love is Hell that is lacking on Rock n Roll. The second half of the album is not as strong, but as a whole Love Is Hell is a classic.

While the gold standard for Ryan Adams fans is his first album Heartbreaker, Love Is Hell is much more accomplished in its technical songwriting. Ryan Adams in an amazing talent and is on the verge of establishing himself as one of the great songwriters of our time.