The Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities And Rarities 2003-2008)

Drive-By Truckers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: New West Records
• ASIN: B002D0WDSW
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,281 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2009 collection of rarities. Drive By Truckers (DBT) have been making music together for 13 years resulting in seven critically acclaimed studio albums which could not contain all of the songs written by the band. DBT recently dug into the New West Records vaults and put finishing touches on a selection of songs that were never quite completed. The result of the collaboration is The Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities and Rarities 2003-2008), a 12 track album of previously unreleased and rare songs. The Fine Print features songs written by band members past and present, including Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell. Seven of the songs come from the Dirty South era, a highly creative time for DBT. The record also contains four covers including 'Rebels' (Tom Petty).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Odds & Ends from DBT!, September 3, 2009

By 

NAFCISUM2000 "WN" (TEXAS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities And Rarities 2003-2008) (Audio CD)

This is truly a mixed bag of tracks from Drive By Truckers covering the 2003-2008 period. A true odds and sods collection where you have a total of 12 songs, eight of which have been written by DBT (2 of these are alternate versions of songs from other DBT albums) and 4 excellent cover songs.
Many times these collections from bands don't work that well but that is not the case here. I think the layout of the album is excellent which in my opinion makes the album flow together well. Overall, some excellent songs from the vaults.
The standout DBT songs to me at this point are:
- George Jones Talking Cell Phone Blues - Excellent country rocker from Patterson Hood to kick off the album.
- TVA & When the Well Runs Dry - 2 Excellent Jason Isbell songs. If you enjoyed this period of the DBT you should appreciate these songs. The lyrics to TVA are great.

I think what puts this album over the top for me are the covers:

Play it All Night Long - A Classic Warren Zevon song which DBT absolutely tear up.

Mama Bake a Pie (Daddy Kill a Chicken) - A Tom T. Hall tune which I was not familiar with but great lyrics about a soldier coming home from Vietnam. Very well done.

Like a Rolling Stone - At first I was thinking, Great just what I need is another version of this song but it is Done really nicely with Patterson Hood, Shonna Tucker, Jason Isbell and Mike Cooley each taking a verse and then coming together at the end.. Very nicely done.

I think if you are a DBT fan, it is a must have. I don't think you will be disappointed. If you haven't been exposed to DBT yet and not familiar with their music, I think this isn't a bad place to start!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Find Print Indeed, September 2, 2009

By 

Richard (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities & Rarities 2003-2008) (MP3 Download)

I must say that I am really impressed with this rarities album. This album is one or two songs from being a great "studio" album. What else excites me is that this oddities album takes me back to the time when the Truckers were making great records that made me feel like it was acceptable to be born and raised in the south. There are so many stereotypes that come along with being from the south but the Truckers wrote songs that made me feel like I was not the only one in my generation who found it difficult to be raised there. To me the last two albums were good but the lyrics seemed to lose their southern charm and they were written more for a wider audience. Lastly, it's great to hear a Jason Isbell song on a Drive by Truckers album. I have tried to like his solo albums but it's not the same as when he was with the Truckers when he too wrote songs about the southern way of life. This is album is absolutely worth getting.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars only for hardcore fans, November 24, 2009

By 

Bigcat@1984 (Streamwood, IL) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities And Rarities 2003-2008) (Audio CD)

The last few records have really gone downhill in quality for me. I was hoping for some choice nuggets here, but there is little to really get excited about. The first song about George Jones is pretty good and the Christmas song is fun in a twisted sort of way... but the covers are merely average takes
on classic songs. The two "alternate" versions are almost identical to the
originals. "Uncle Frank" is a masterpiece from "Pizza Deliverance" but this
version just sounds murky in a bad sort of way. I did really enjoy the Tom T.
Hall cover "Mama bake a pie..." Patterson Hood did a great job finding and
performing this one, but most of this stuff is forgettable.

To hear Hood talk these songs up in the liner notes - you would think one could not live without this disc. I am here to say you can... and probably
SHOULD live without this record unless you are a diehard fan who has to have
everything DBT.