Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

Bill Callahan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 14, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Drag City
• ASIN: B001Q2EIXG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,027 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2009 release. At the risk of being redundant, Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle is about as beautiful an album as you can expect to hear sung circa 2009. Unfolding like a first view of paradise, then a slightly less ecstatic second view of paradise and then finally a glance back over your shoulder at that stupid paradise bulls***, Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle surveys a landscape that grows organically, like the time two people spend together; or the time one person spends alone (with another). One way or another, it's awfully pretty.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you could only stop your heartbeat..., September 28, 2010

By 

B. Bowman "Double B" (Jersey, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle (Audio CD)

I have owned this disc for less than a week, and have literally almost worn it out. I can't remember the last time I bought a CD and listened to it 30 or 40 times in such a short period of time without getting tired of it. I'm embarrassed to admit that until recently I hadn't heard of Bill Callahan, but this release has sold me on his talent. I'm also surprised to find out that a disc with such excellent arrangements and songwriting was listed on so many Best Albums of 2009 lists, as this type of music seems to be in short supply these days and rarely receives such accolades. This is definitely a collection of songs that should be heard as a whole, but I have to mention that there are certain songs on this album which bring a lump to my throat every time I hear them: "Rococo Zephyr", "Too Many Birds", "Faith/Void", and especially the album's opener "Jim Cain". These are songs that are too beautiful for words, and manage to capture the painful beauty that life is full of. There have been very few times in my music listening life when I really get blown away by an entire album, but this is one of those times. I live for these moments, it's why I buy so much music I guess. The first times I heard Nick Drake's "Pink Moon", Richard and Linda Thompson's "I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight", John Martyn's "Solid Air", and Rage Against The Machine's first album come to mind. Those records had me captivated by the album art, the songs, the vibe...the whole package. "Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle" belongs in that category, and if you are a music fan I highly recommend it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bill Callahan = Smog = Perfection, April 19, 2010

By 

honestasabraham - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle (Audio CD)

I have had this album for several months now and wore it out a long time ago. I recently purchased "Woke on a whaleheart" and was just as impressed.

Then....Bill Callahan's most recent live release "Rough Travel" brought me too a pitchfork review which brought me to a little band called Smog.

Smog is Bill Callahan and has a catalog about 10 albums strong. I now have "Supper", "Red Apple Falls", and "River Aint too much Love". And let me tell you. They are all three just as strong as Sometimes I wish I were an Eagle.

Hence, if this is your first Bill Callahan album and you are infatuated. Dig deeper. You have a long way to go!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite Record of 2009, February 13, 2010

By 

Drischord (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle (Audio CD)

This album is alternately pastoral, riveting, soothing and frightening. I own probably 85% of Bill Callahan's recorded output, and I think this might be my favorite of all his work.